Development of an experimental model of cardiac failure combined with type I diabetes mellitus.

The doses and mode of streptozotocin injection for modeling heart failure combined with type 1 diabetes mellitus have been determined. Combined disease was induced in animals by injecting the selected streptozotocin dose (60 mg/kg intraperitoneally) at the stage of heart failure formation (2 weeks after coronary occlusion). This protocol of experiment led to development of hyperglycemia, body weight loss, and formation of myocardial cicatrix and hypertrophy corresponding to signs of heart failure paralleled by diabetes mellitus.