Hydrolase activities in the rat aorta. I. Effects of diabetes mellitus and insulin treatment.

Vascular disease in diabetics could arise in part from altered vessel wall catebolism. Specific activities of hydrolases in aortic smooth muscle cells from rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes were measured. Enyzmes included: neutral alpha-glucosidase, alpha-mannosidase, and lysosomal N-acetyl beta-glucosaminidase, beta-galactosidase, cathepsin C, acid alpha-glucosidase, and acid cholesteryl esterase. After 4,8, and 11 weeks of diabetes, activities of all enzymes studied were decreased significantly in diabetic vessels, decreases ranging from 15% for cathepsin C to 62% for alpha-mannosidase. After 3 weeks of diabetes, insulin treatment for 1 week restored enzyme levels to normal. After 7 weeks of diabetes, 1 week of insulin treatment did not restore enzyme levels fully to normal (acid cholesteryl esterase was unchanged); 4 weeks of insulin did. Acid phosphatase and N-acetyl beta-glucosaminidase activities were reduced markedly in histochemical studies of diabetic aortas at all time periods and were restored by insulin treatment. Alloxan-induced diabetes gave results similar to those with streptozotocin. Significant decreases of aortic hydrolase activities, including those of lysosomes, occur in experimental diabetes mellitus and could contribute to accumulation of substrates in vascular smooth muscle cells.