Baroreflex dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. II. Site of baroreflex impairment in diabetic rabbits.

In our companion paper [T. S. McDowell, M. W. Chapleau, G. Hajduczok, and F. M. Abboud, Am. J. Physiol. 266 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 35): H235-H243, 1994] we report that baroreflex-mediated bradycardia is impaired in diabetic rabbits. The purpose of the present study was to identify the site of impairment. Diabetes was induced in rabbits by alloxan (90-100 mg/kg iv; n = 7). Alloxan-treated rabbits that remained normoglycemic (n = 8) and rabbits given saline instead of alloxan (n = 4) served as controls. Twenty-four weeks after administration of alloxan or saline, rabbits were anesthetized with alpha-chloralose. Aortic baroreceptor and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were recorded during phenylephrine- and nitroglycerin-induced changes in arterial pressure. The slope of the baroreceptor pressure-activity relation was not significantly different in diabetic rabbits (1.3 +/- 0.3%/mmHg, n = 7) compared with either alloxan-treated (1.3 +/- 0.1%/mmHg) or saline-treated normoglycemic rabbits (1.2 +/- 0.2%/mmHg). The slope of the arterial pressure-RSNA relation was not significantly different in diabetic rabbits (-3.5 +/- 0.3%/mmHg, n = 7) compared with the alloxan-treated normoglycemic rabbits (-3.0 +/- 0.4%/mmHg, n = 8) and was greater than that in saline-treated normoglycemic rabbits (-1.9 +/- 0.3%/mmHg, n = 4; P < 0.05). The decreases in heart rate in response to electrical stimulation (10 V, 2 ms, 0.5-16 Hz) of the cut peripheral end of the right cervical vagus were similar in diabetic and alloxan-treated normoglycemic rabbits.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)