Glomerular mesangial cell altered contractility in high glucose is Ca2+ independent

In diabetes, loss of renal arteriolar smooth-muscle cell contractility leads to intraglomerular hypertension. In glomeruli isolated from streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, the mesangial cells (smooth muscle-like) display loss of contractile responsiveness to angiotensin II. This study examines the mechanistic relationship between altered mesangial cell contractility and vasopressor hormone-stimulated Ca2+ signaling in high glucose. Glomeruli were isolated from normal or STZ-induced diabetic rats to observe ex vivo mesangial cell contractile function. Also, rat mesangial cells were cultured (10-20 passages) in normal (5.6 mmol/l) or high (10-25.6 mmol/l) glucose for 1-5 days. Reduction of glomerular volume and decreased planar surface area of cultured mesangial cells in response to vasoconstrictor stimulation over 60 min were measured by videomicroscopy and personal computer-based morphometry. Contraction of glomeruli isolated from STZ-administered rat in response to endothelin (ET)-1 (0.1 mumol/l) or the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (5 mumol/l) was impaired significantly compared with that in normal glucose. In the presence of arginine vasopressin (AVP) (1.0 mumol/l) or ET-1 (0.1 mumol/l), mesangial cells demonstrated a dose-dependent loss of contractile response to increasing glucose concentrations (5.6-25.6 mmol/l) within 24 h of high-glucose exposure, which was sustained for 5 days. Mesangial cells in high glucose were consistently smaller in size compared with those in normal glucose. Mesangial cells were preloaded with myo-[2-3H]inositol and intracellular [3H] inositol phosphate release in response to AVP (1.0 mumol/l) was analyzed by Dowex chromatography. Comparing cells in normal (5.6 mmol/l) verus high (25.6 mmol/l) glucose, we observed no significant difference in stimulated inositol phosphate levels from 10 to 60 s.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)