Impaired myogenic tone in isolated cerebral and coronary resistance arteries from the goto-kakizaki rat model of type 2 diabetes.

AIM Type 2 diabetes is associated with stroke and cardiac dysfunction. We therefore investigated isolated middle cerebral arteries and coronary septal arteries from the diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat model of nonobese type 2 diabetes. METHODS Myogenic tone and agonist-induced responses were investigated under isobaric conditions with simultaneous recording of [Ca2+]i. Rho-kinase and NO pathways were investigated using specific pharmacological tools. RESULTS Arteries from GK rats developed less tone at pressures from 20 to 100 mm Hg than arteries from control Wistar (CW) rats while [Ca2+]i was similar. Blocking the Rho-kinase pathway decreased the pressure-induced development of tone and after blockade no difference in myogenic tone between arteries from GK and CW rats was seen. Cerebral arteries had similar tone to a maximal concentration of U46619 (GK: 35.5±2% vs. CW: 31.6±5%), while coronary arteries from GK rats developed less tone than arteries from CW rats (12±3 vs. 26.1±3%). Endothelium-dependent vasodilation to A23187 (cerebral) and to acetylcholine (coronary) was not different between arteries from GK and CW rats. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that in resistance arteries from the brain and the heart of GK rats the myogenic tone is decreased due to impaired calcium sensitivity likely due to a defective Rho-kinase pathway.