In this study, we examined cardiac inflammation, fibrosis and left ventricular (LV) function during the development of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy using an animal model of diabetes mellitus (DM). Diabetes was induced in 22 Sprague‑Dawley rats by an intraperitoneal single injection of STZ (70 mg/kg). Non-diabetic animals served as the controls (n=6). LV function was docu...

RATIONALE In some patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) without hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and attenuated cardiac function are observed, and this insult is termed diabetic cardiomyopathy. To date, microRNA (miRNAs or miR) functions in diabetic cardiomyopathy remain to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE To clarify the functions of miRNAs involved in diabetic cardiomyopathy caused by type 2 ...

Aim To find out if Doppler myocardial imaging (DMI) can detect early signs of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in a rat model of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Methods Eight control and 12 Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats underwent transthoracic echocardiography with high-resolution technology at baseline and 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after STZ injection. Radial function was analysed using...

Diabetic cardiomyopathy increases the risk of heart failure and death. At present, there are no effective approaches to preventing its development in the clinic. Here we report that reduction of cardiac GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) degradation by genetic and pharmacological approaches protects the heart against diabetic cardiomyopathy. Diabetic cardiomyopathy was induced in C57BL/6 wild-type mic...

11β-HSD1 has been recognized as a potential therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have shown that hyperglycemia leads to activation of 11β-HSD1, increasing the intracellular glucocorticoid levels. Excess glucocorticoids may lead to the clinical manifestations of cardiac injury. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate whether 11β-HSD1 activation contributes to the dev...

AIMS Diabetic cardiomyopathy, characterized by myocardial structural and functional changes, is a specific cardiomyopathy develops in patients with diabetes mellitus. The present study was to investigate the role of kinin B2 receptor-Akt-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β signalling pathway in mediating the protective effects of tanshinone IIA (TSN) on diabetic cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESU...

AIM To find out if Doppler myocardial imaging (DMI) can detect early signs of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in a rat model of diabetic cardiomyopathy. METHODS Eight control and 12 Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats underwent transthoracic echocardiography with high-resolution technology at baseline and 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after STZ injection. Radial function was analysed usi...

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) exhibit greatly increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The increased mortality of patients with DM stems from the more frequent development of heart failure (HF) (Bell, 2003a; Jaffe et al., 1984; Kamalesh, 2007; Marwick, 2006; Solomon et al., 2002). In the past, the high incidence and poor prognosis of HF in diabetic patients was attributed to the...

In patients with diabetes, an increased risk of symptomatic heart failure usually develops in the presence of hypertension or ischemic heart disease. However, a predisposition to heart failure might also reflect the effects of underlying abnormalities in diastolic function that can occur in asymptomatic patients with diabetes alone (termed diabetic cardiomyopathy). Evidence of cardiomyopathy ha...

Diabetic cardiomyopathy, clinically diagnosed as ventricular dysfunction in the absence of coronary atherosclerosis or hypertension diabetic patients, is a cardiac muscle-specific disease that increases risk heart failure and mortality. Its clinical course characterized initially by diastolic dysfunction, later systolic eventually from an uncertain mechanism. Light microscopic features such int...