The effect of succinic acid monomethyl ester (SAM) on the responses of isolated thoracic aorta in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Succinic acid monomethyl ester (SAM) was recently proposed as an insulinotropic tool in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The present study was designed to define whether SAM has the vascular effect in thoracic aorta of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. (1) Body weights of diabetic rats were significantly increased after SAM treatment (P < 0.05). (2) Ten-day SAM treatment did not significantly affect blood glucose levels in SAM-treated control and SAM-treated STZ-diabetic rats. (3) Maximum tension responses to noradrenaline and KCl (80 mmol l-1) were not significantly different among all the experimental groups. (4) pD2 (-log EC50) values for noradrenaline of untreated diabetic rats were significantly less than those of controls, SAM-treated control and SAM-treated diabetic rats (P < 0.01, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). SAM treatment normalized the decreased sensitivity of noradrenaline response in diabetic rats. (5) Fast, slow and total components of responses to noradrenaline (10(-5) mol l-1 approximately equal to EC90) were not significantly different among all the experimental groups. (6) There were no significant differences between aorta precontracted with noradrenaline from controls and STZ-diabetic (untreated and SAM-treated) rats in pD2 values and the potency of maximum relaxation to acetylcholine or in pD2 values to sodium nitroprusside. In conclusion, 10-day SAM treatment increases the sensitivity of diabetic-aortic rings to noradrenaline compared to untreated diabetic control rats.