Dephosphorylation increases insulin-stimulated receptor kinase activity in skeletal muscle of obese Zucker rats

Serine/threonine phosphorylation of insulin receptor has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. To investigate whether dephosphorylation of serine/threonine residues of the insulin receptor may restore the decreased insulin-stimulated receptor tyrosine kinase activity in skeletal muscle of obese Zucker rats, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity was measured before and after alkaline phosphatase treatment. Compared to lean controls, insulin-stimulated glucose transport was depressed by 61% (p < 0.05) in obese Zucker rats. The insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate-1 contents were decreased by 14% (p < 0.05) and 16% (p < 0.05), respectively, in skeletal muscle of obese Zucker rats. In vivo insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate-1 was depressed by 82% (p < 0.05) and 86% (p < 0.05), respectively. In the meantime, in vitro insulin-stimulated receptor tyrosine kinase activity in obese rats was decreased by 39% (p < 0.05). Dephosphorylation of the insulin receptor by prior alkaline phosphatase treatment increased insulin-stimulated receptor tyrosine kinase activity in both lean and obese Zucker rats, but the increase was three times greater in obese Zucker rats (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that excessive serine/threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor in obese Zucker rats may be a cause for insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.     

Adipogenic activity in the plasma of genetically obese Zucker rats

The potential of plasma to stimulate differentiation and lipid filling of adipose precursors in primary culture was investigated in the groups of genetically obese Zucker rats (fafa) and their lean littermates (FaFa). The effect of age, feeding status and possible role of growth hormone in the process of adipogenesis was also studied. Differences in lipid-filling activity of the tested plasma samples were much more dependent on age than the genotype of plasma donors were. The plasma taken from the oldest (20-week-old) rats stimulated the accumulation of triglycerides in the cells to significantly higher levels than the plasma from other rats. The influence of the feeding status on the lipid-filling activity of plasma was not significant. The differentiation potential of plasma in terms of the stimulation of glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity measured in adipocyte precursors was 30-50% higher when the culture medium contained plasma from obese rats. Furthermore, glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity in the growing cells declined with age and tended to be higher in the presence of plasma from fed rats. It was the growth hormone that was in a considerable degree responsible for the differentiation potential of Zucker rat plasma. This effect of growth hormone seemed to be less dependent on fafa genotype. It is, therefore, suggested that in addition to growth hormone, other factors in the plasma of genetically obese Zucker rats might be important in the development of obesity in this rat strain.     

Renal activity of Akt kinase in experimental Type 1 diabetes

Akt kinase regulates numerous cell functions including glucose metabolism, cell growth, survival, protein synthesis, and control of local hemodynamics. mTOR is one of down-stream effectors of Akt involved in the initiation of protein translation. However, renal Akt signaling in Type 1 diabetes (DM) in vivo, in particular under the conditions reflecting differences in metabolic control, has received less attention. Renal cortical activity and expression of Akt and mTOR (kinase assay, western blotting) were determined in streptozotocin-diabetic rats (D) with different levels of glycemic control (blood glucose 22.0+/-1.0, 13.4+/-1.5, 8.1+/-0.4 mmol/l, p<0.05 between the groups), achieved by varying insulin treatment (0, 4 and 12 IU/day), and in control rats with (C4) or without (C) chronic insulin administration. Renal Akt activity was reduced in D rats without insulin treatment and severe hyperglycemia (D-0, -62 %, p<0.01 vs. C), partially restored in moderately hyperglycemic rats (D-4, -30 %, p<0.05 vs. C), and normalized in D rats with intensive insulin and tight metabolic control (D-12). Expression of active mTOR paralleled Akt activity in D-0 (-51 %, p<0.01 vs. C), but not in D-4 and D-12 that demonstrated increases in active mTOR (+55 %, +80 % resp., p<0.05) as compared to C. Moreover, insulin activated renal Akt (+82 %, p<0.01), but not mTOR in C4. In conclusion, glycemic control and intensity of insulin treatment are important modulators of renal Akt and mTOR activity in diabetes. While Akt activity is reversible by tight metabolic control, combination of hyperglycemia and insulin treatment resulted in enhancement of mTOR activity. In addition to Akt, other signaling pathways likely contribute to regulation of renal mTOR activity in diabetes.     

Gastrin release in obese Zucker rats

In this study, gastrin release in the obese Zucker rat was investigated by in vivo and in vitro experiments. Obese rats exhibited normal plasma gastrin levels at 3 weeks (preobese), were moderately hypergastrinemic at 3 months and severely hypergastrinemic at 5 months, compared to lean littermates. Following oral peptone, plasma gastrin levels doubled in both lean and obese rats. Basal and vagally stimulated gastrin release from perfused stomachs was greater in obese compared to lean rats and atropine had no effect on basal gastrin release in either group. Basal somatostatin release from the perfused stomach was found not to differ in both groups of animals. Morphological studies revealed an increase in the number of gastrin-containing G-cells in adult obese rats compared to lean littermates, but not in 3-week-old pups compared to lean littermates, indicating a strong correlation between cell number and plasma gastrin levels. These data indicate that the obese Zucker rat exhibits fasting hypergastrinemia in vivo, a condition which appears after weaning and increases in severity with age. Gastrin hypersecretion persists from the vascularly perfused stomach preparation. The basal hypergastrinemia of the obese Zucker rat is independent of a hyperactive postganglionic cholinergic drive but is associated with and probably causally related to an increase in antral G-cell numbers.     

CCK-resistance in Zucker obese versus lean rats

Obese Zucker rats are less sensitive to the satiety effect of CCK than lean litter mates. The present studies further characterised this CCK resistance. Subcutaneous injection of the CCK agonist caerulein dose-dependently decreased food intake in Zucker obese and lean rats whereas the CCK-B agonist gastrin-17 did not. Caerulein at 4 μg/kg, which resulted in CCK plasma bioactivity slightly above postprandial levels, decreased food intake in lean rats but not in obese rats. The decrease in food intake was also more marked at higher caerulein doses (20–100 μg/kg) in lean versus obese rats. In lean animals the satiety effects of the “near physiological” 4 μg/kg caerulein dose was abolished after blockade of vagal afferents with capsaicin, whereas the effects of higher caerulein doses were not. CCK-stimulated amylase secretion from pancreatic acini and binding capacity of ¹²⁵I- labelled CCK-8 were decreased in obese versus lean rats. The CCK-A antagonist loxiglumide at 20 mg/kg, a dose which abolished the action of all caerulein doses on food intake, failed to alter the food intake either in obese or in lean rats when given without an agonist. The results suggest that the satiety effects of “near physiological” doses of caerulein in lean rats are mediated by vagal afferents whereas pharmacological doses act via non-vagal mechanisms. The differences in CCK's satiety effect between lean and obese rats may be due to differences in CCK-receptor binding and action at peripheral vagal sites. However, the failure of the CCK-A antagonist to increase food intake questions whether any of the effects of exogenous CCK are of physiological relevance.     

Glycerokinase activity in brown and white adipose tissues of cold-adapted obese Zucker rats

Glycerokinase activity was measured in the brown and white adipose tissues compared with that in the liver obese Zucker rats adapted or not adapted to cold. In white adipose tissue total activity was low but higher in the fa/fa rats than in the Fa/ones; cold adaptation did not modify this activity. In brown adipose tissue specific activity was higher than in white; specific activity was twice as high in the fa/fa rats than in the Fa/-. Cold-adaptation induced an increase in the activity in the Fa rats and a decrease in the fa/fa rats. The results are discussed with regard to the cold-induced increase in the energetic efficiency of the tissue.     

Enhanced role for RhoA-associated kinase in adrenergic-mediated vasoconstriction in gracilis arteries from obese Zucker rats

Obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension are components of the pathophysiological state known as metabolic syndrome. Adrenergic vasoconstriction is mediated through increases in cytosolic Ca2+ and the myofilaments' sensitivity to Ca2+. In many pathophysiological states, there is an enhanced role for Rho kinase (ROK)-mediated increases in Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile apparatus. Thus we hypothesized that there is a greater role for ROK-mediated increases in Ca2+ sensitivity in alpha1-adrenergic vasoconstriction in arteries from obese Zucker (OZ) rats. Therefore, small gracilis muscle arteries from 11- to 12-wk-old and 16- to 18-wk-old lean and OZ rats were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized to 75 mmHg. For some experiments, vessels were loaded with fura 2-AM. Changes in luminal diameter and vessel wall Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]) were measured in response to phenylephrine (PE), the thromboxane mimetic U-46619, and KCl. alpha1-Adrenergic vasoconstriction was similar between 11- to 12-wk-old lean and obese animals and greater in older obese animals compared with controls. PE-induced increases in vascular smooth muscle cell [Ca2+] were blunted in OZ animals compared with lean controls in both age groups of animals. KCl and U-46619 elicited similar vasoconstriction and vascular smooth muscle cell [Ca2+] in both groups. ROK inhibition attenuated PE vasoconstriction to a greater degree in arteries from 11- to 12-wk-old OZ rats compared with lean animals; ROK inhibition in arteries from older rats right shifted both concentration-response curves to the same point. Total RhoA and ROKalpha protein expressions were similar between groups. These results suggest an enhanced role for the ROK pathway in alpha1-adrenergic vasoconstriction in metabolic syndrome.     

Calcitonin mRNA activity in young obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats

Alterations in both calcitonin (CT) secretion and plasma calcium were recently described in adult obese Zucker rats. We have investigated the CT biosynthetic activity of thyroid glands in 30-day-old obese Zucker rats (fa/fa), and their controls (Lean). Plasma calcium level was significantly increased (+0.6 mg/dl) in obese animals, but plasma phosphate was unchanged. Plasma CT levels measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) were significantly decreased in fatty (0.50 +/- 0.03 vs 0.68 +/- 0.03 ng/ml in Leans; P less than 0.001), but thyroidal hormone content was not different between Lean and fatty rats (68.7 +/- 5.1 in Leans vs 60.5 +/- 3.6 ng/gland in fatty rats). mRNA was extracted from 10 thyroids, and translated in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate (NEN) in the presence of [35S]methionine. After polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, specific immunoprecipitates were autoradiographed and quantified by integration. A 50% decrease in translatable CT mRNA was observed in fatty rats. In basal conditions, the biosynthetic activity of C cells in obese rats correlates with the secretion rate of the hormone in the face of unchanged thyroidal CT contents.     

Increased sensitivity to somatostatin in obese Zucker rats

The release of somatostatin from the pancreas and stomach following the ingestion of a meal and its increase in the peripheral circulation elicits an attenuation of postprandial hormone secretion such as insulin, pancreatic polypeptide and gastrin and retards the rate at which nutrients enter the circulation. Reduced tissue somatostatin content and/or an attenuated somatostatin release is associated with hyperinsulinism and obesity in certain animal models. In the obese Zucker rat, however, tissue somatostatin levels are increased and therefore the present study was designed to determine the effect of synthetic somatostatin on basal and postprandial arterial insulin levels in obese and lean Zucker rats. Synthetic somatostatin was infused at doses of 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 5 ng/kg X min before and after the intragastric instillation of a liver extract/sucrose test meal. In the obese rats somatostatin at a dose of 5 ng/kg X min reduced basal plasma insulin levels significantly, whereas no effect of somatostatin was observed on basal insulin levels in the lean animals at all doses employed. The integrated postprandial insulin response was reduced during 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 5 ng/kg X min somatostatin in the obese animals, whereas only 0.5 ng/kg X min and higher doses had an inhibitory effect in the lean rats. The degree of inhibition in relation to the postprandial insulin response during saline infusions was 35-230% in the obese and 30-100% in the lean Zucker rats within the range of somatostatin infusions employed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Expression of hepatic microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity in lean and obese Zucker rats

The activity of hepatic microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase was studied in genetically obese and lean Zucker rats. The liver microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity in fatty Zucker rats (fa/fa) is about 50% to 70% lower than that of the lean (Fa/-) rats of the same sex, when animals were sacrificed at the middle of the dark cycle. When rats were sacrificed at the middle of the light cycle, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity was the same as in the dark cycle in obese rats of both sexes, but was 65% lower in lean rats. However, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity was stimulated by the treatment with cholestyramine in both obese and lean rats. Our results suggested that the diurnal regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity is lost in obese rats but was present under cholestyramine treatment in the genetically obese strain of rats.     

Impaired skeletal muscle perfusion in obese Zucker rats

Skeletal muscle arterioles from obese Zucker rats (OZR) exhibit oxidant stress-based alterations in reactivity, enhanced alpha-adrenergic constriction, and reduced distensibility vs. microvessels of lean Zucker rats (LZR). The present study determined the impact of these alterations for perfusion and performance of in situ skeletal muscle during periods of elevated metabolic demand. During bouts of isometric tetanic contractions, fatigue of in situ gastrocnemius muscle of OZR was increased vs. LZR; this was associated with impaired active hyperemia. In OZR, vasoactive responses of skeletal muscle arterioles from the contralateral gracilis muscle were impaired, due in part to elevated oxidant tone; reactivity was improved after treatment with polyethylene glycol-superoxide dismutase (PEGSOD). Arterioles of OZR also exhibited increased alpha-adrenergic sensitivity, which was abolished by treatment with phentolamine (10-5 M). Intravenous infusion of phentolamine (10 mg/kg) or PEG-SOD (2,000 U/kg) in OZR altered neither fatigue rates nor active hyperemia from untreated levels; however, combined infusion improved performance and hyperemia, although not to levels in LZR. Microvessel density in the contralateral gastrocnemius muscle, determined via histological analyses, was reduced by approximately 25% in OZR vs. LZR, while individual arterioles from the contralateral gracilis muscle demonstrated reduced distensibility. These data suggest that altered arteriolar reactivity contributes to reduced muscle performance and active hyperemia in OZR. Further, despite pharmacological improvements in arteriolar reactivity, reduced skeletal muscle microvessel density and arteriolar distensibility also contribute substantially to reduced active hyperemia and potentially to impaired muscle performance.     

Exercise training increases ERK2 activity in skeletal muscle of obese Zucker rats.

Acute exercise and training increase insulin action in skeletal muscle, but the mechanism responsible for this effect is unknown. Activation of the insulin receptor initiates signaling through both the phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase and the mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK, also referred to as extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2)] pathways. Acute exercise has no effect on the PI3-kinase pathway signaling elements but does activate the MAPK pathway, which may play a role in the adaptation of muscle to exercise. It is unknown whether training produces a chronic effect on basal activity or insulin response of the MAPK pathway. The present study was undertaken to determine whether exercise training improves the activity of the MAPK pathway or its response to insulin in obese Zucker rats, a well-characterized model of insulin resistance. To accomplish this, obese Zucker rats were studied by using the hindlimb perfusion method with or without 7 wk of treadmill training. Activation of the MAPK pathway was determined in gastrocnemius muscles exposed in situ to insulin. Compared with lean Zucker rats, untrained obese Zucker rats had reduced basal and insulin-stimulated activities of ERK2 and its downstream target p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK2). Seven weeks of training significantly increased basal and insulin-stimulated ERK2 and RSK2 activities, as well as insulin stimulation of MAPK kinase activity. This effect was maintained for at least 96 h in the case of ERK2. The training-induced increase in basal ERK2 activity was correlated with the increase in citrate synthase activity. Therefore, 7 wk of training increases basal and insulin-stimulated ERK2 activity. The increase in basal ERK2 activity may be related to the response of muscle to training.     

Impairment of sympathetic baroreceptor reflexes in obese Zucker rats

Adult obese Zucker rats (OZRs) have elevated sympathetic vasomotor tone and arterial pressure (AP) with blunted baroreflex-mediated changes in heart rate (HR) compared with adult lean Zucker rats (LZRs). The present study examined whether compromised cardiac baroreflexes are indicative of attenuated sympathetic responses. In addition, because juvenile OZRs have a normal mean AP, we determined whether baroreflexes are fully functional prior to hypertension. At 13 wk, adult OZRs had an elevated baseline mean AP compared with LZRs (137 +/- 3 vs. 123 +/- 5 mmHg, P < 0.05) under urethane anesthesia. Phenylephrine-induced increases in AP evoked smaller inhibitions of splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and HR in OZRs compared with LZRs. In addition, sympathoexcitatory responses to nitroprusside-induced hypotension were also blunted in OZRs. Sigmoid analysis revealed a decreased gain, a higher mean AP at the midpoint of the curve (AP(50)), and a reduced range of changes in SNA in OZRs. In contrast, at 7 wk of age, although juvenile OZRs weighed more than LZRs (313 +/- 13 vs. 204 +/- 4 g, P < 0.05), mean AP was comparable in both groups (122 +/- 5 vs. 121 +/- 4 mmHg, not significant). In these rats, rapid changes in AP evoked comparable changes in SNA and HR in OZRs and LZRs. Sigmoid analysis revealed that, although the gain of the reflex was blunted in OZRs (P < 0.05), the mean AP(50) and range of changes in SNA were comparable in OZRs and LZRs. Together, these data indicate that in adult OZRs, sympathetic responses to acute changes in AP are smaller than those observed in adult LZRs and that impairment of baroreceptor reflexes in OZR is not limited to the regulation of HR but extends to sympathetic vasomotor control. In addition, most of these deficits in baroreflex control of SNA develop in adulthood long after the onset of obesity and when other deficits in cardiovascular regulation are present.     

Dopaminergic modulation of ventilation in obese Zucker rats.

To investigate the hypothesis that the impaired respiratory drive noted in morbid obesity was attributable to altered dopaminergic mechanisms acting on peripheral and/or central chemoreflex sensitivity, seven obese and seven lean Zucker rats were studied at 11 wk of age. Ventilation (VE) was measured by the barometric technique during hyperoxic (100% O(2)), normoxic (21% O(2)), hypoxic (10% O(2)), and hypercapnic (7% CO(2)) exposures after the administration of vehicle (control), haloperidol [Hal, 1 mg/kg, a central and peripheral dopamine (Da) receptor antagonist], or domperidone (Dom, 0.5 mg/kg, a peripheral Da receptor antagonist). In both lean and obese rats, Hal increased tidal volume and decreased respiratory frequency during hyperoxia or normoxia, resulting in an unchanged VE. In contrast, Dom did not affect tidal volume, frequency, or VE during hyperoxia or normoxia. During hypoxia, however, VE significantly increased from 1,132 +/- 136 to 1,348 +/- 98 ml. kg(-1). min(-1) (P < 0.01) after the administration of Dom in obese rats, whereas no change was observed in lean rats. Hal significantly decreased VE during hypoxia compared with control in lean but not obese rats. In both lean and obese rats, Hal decreased VE in response to hypercapnia, whereas Dom had no effect. Our major findings suggest that peripheral chemosensitivity to hypoxia in obese Zucker rats is reduced as a result of an increased dopaminergic receptor modulation in the carotid body.     

Protein kinase betaII in Zucker obese rats compromises oxygen and flow-mediated regulation of nitric oxide formation

In severe obesity, microvascular endothelial regulation of nitric oxide (NO) formation is compromised in response to muscarinic stimulation, and major arteries have suppressed flow-mediated dilation. Because normal microvessels are highly dependent on flow-mediated stimulation of NO generation and are responsive to intra- and extravascular oxygen availability, they are likely a major site of impaired endothelial regulation. This study evaluated the blood flow and oxygen-dependent aspects of intestinal microvascular regulation and NO production in Zucker obese rats just before the onset of hyperglycemia. Ruboxistaurin (LY-333531) was used to inhibit PKC-betaII to determine whether flow or oxygen-related NO regulation was improved. Blood flow velocity was increased by forcing arterioles to perfuse approximately 50% larger tissue areas by occlusion of nearby arterioles, and oxygen tension in the bath was lowered to create a modest oxygen depletion. When compared with lean Zucker rats, the periarteriolar NO concentration ([NO]) for obese rats was approximately 30% below normal. At elevated shear rates, the [NO] for arterioles of obese animals was 20-30% below those in the arterioles of lean rats, and the NO response to decreased oxygen was about half normal in obese rats. All of these regulatory problems were essentially corrected in obese rats by PKC blockade with only minor changes in the microvascular behavior in lean rats. Therefore, activation of PKC-betaII in endothelial cells during obesity suppressed NO regulation both at rest and in response to increased flow velocity and decreased oxygen availability.     

Genioglossus muscle activity and serotonergic modulation of hypoglossal motor output in obese Zucker rats.

Obese Zucker rats have a narrower and more collapsible upper airway compared with lean controls, similar to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Genioglossus (GG) muscle activity is augmented in awake OSA patients to compensate for airway narrowing, but the neural control of GG activity in obese Zucker rats has not been investigated to determine whether such neuromuscular compensation also occurs. This study tests the hypotheses that GG activity is augmented in obese Zucker rats compared with lean controls and that endogenous 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) contributes to GG activation. Seven obese and seven lean Zucker rats were implanted with electroencephalogram and neck muscle electrodes to record sleep-wake states, and they were implanted with GG and diaphragm wires for respiratory muscle recordings. Microdialysis probes were implanted into the hypoglossal motor nucleus for perfusion of artificial cerebrospinal fluid and the 5-HT receptor antagonist mianserin (100 microM). Compared with lean controls, respiratory rates were increased in obese rats across sleep-wake states (P=0.048) because of reduced expiratory durations (P=0.007); diaphragm activation was similar between lean and obese animals (P=0.632). Respiratory-related, tonic, and peak GG activities were also similar between obese and lean rats (P>0.139). There was no reduction in GG activity with mianserin at the hypoglossal motor nucleus, consistent with recent observations of a minimal contribution of endogenous 5-HT to GG activity. These results suggest that despite the upper airway narrowing in obese Zucker rats, these animals have a sufficiently stable airway such that pharyngeal muscle activity is normal across sleep-wake states.     

Hepatic protein kinase C is not activated despite high intracellular 1,2-sn-diacylglycerol in obese Zucker rats

High intracellular 1,2,-sn-diacylglycerol (DAG) usually activates protein kinase C (PKC). In choline-deficient Fischer 344 rats, we previously showed that fatty liver was associated with elevated hepatic DAG and sustained activation of PKC. Steatosis is a sequelae of many liver toxins, and we wanted to determine whether fatty liver is always associated with accumulation of DAG with activation of PKC. Obese Zucker rats had 11-fold more triacylglycerol in their livers and 2-fold more DAG in their hepatic plasma membrane than did lean control Zucker rats. However, this increased diacylglycerol was not associated with translocation or activation of PKC in hepatic plasma membrane (activity in obese rats was 897 pmol/mg protein×min⁻¹ vs. 780 pmol/mg protein×min⁻¹ in lean rats). No differences in PKC isoform expression were detected between obese and lean rats. In additional studies, we found that choline deficiency in the Zucker rat did not result in activation of PKC in liver, unlike our earlier observations in the choline deficient Fischer rat. This dissociation between fatty liver, DAG accumulation and PKC activation in Zucker rats supports previous reports of abnormalities in PKC signaling in this strain of rats.     

Cardiovascular dysfunction in Zucker obese and Zucker diabetic fatty rats: role of hydronephrosis

Recent studies in our laboratory using the Zucker obese (ZO) and Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat models resulted in unexpectedly high mortality rates in all genotypes including healthy homozygous lean Zucker rats, possibly because of renal dysfunction. Therefore, we evaluated left ventricular (LV) and kidney morphology and function in young ZO, Zucker diabetic fatty obese (ZDFO), homozygous Zucker/ZDF lean (ZL), and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Hydronephrosis was evident in ZL, ZO, and ZDFO but not SD kidneys. ZDFO rats exhibited impaired LV shortening and relaxation with increased arterial stiffness. LV wall thickness was lower and LV end-systolic wall stress was higher in ZDFO compared with SD rats. Plasma ANG II was lower in ZO and ZDFO rats, which may be a result of reduced renal parenchyma with hydronephrosis; norepinephrine was higher in ZDFO rats than SD controls. Covariate analysis indicated that LV end-systolic wall stress was associated with renal dysfunction. The presence of hydronephrosis and its association with LV dysfunction potentially limits the ZDF model for study of the effects of diabetes on renal and cardiovascular function.     

Augmented adrenergic vasoconstriction in hypertensive diabetic obese Zucker rats

This study examined skeletal muscle microvessel reactivity to constrictor stimuli in obese (OZR) versus lean Zucker rats (LZR). Gracilis arteries from both rat groups were isolated, cannulated with glass micropipettes, and viewed via television microscopy. Changes in vessel diameter were measured with a video micrometer. Arterial constriction to norepinephrine was elevated in OZR versus LZR, although vasoconstrictor reactivity to endothelin and angiotensin II was unaltered. Differences in reactivity between vessels of LZR and OZR were not explained by the loss of either endothelial nitric oxide synthase or beta-adrenergic receptor function. Reactivity of in situ cremasteric arterioles of OZR to norepinephrine was elevated versus LZR. Treatment with prazosin increased the diameter of in vivo gracilis arteries of OZR to levels determined in LZR and also normalized blood pressure in OZR. These results suggest that the constrictor reactivity of skeletal muscle microvessels in OZR is heightened in response to alpha-adrenergic stimuli and that development of diabetes in OZR may be associated with impaired skeletal muscle perfusion and hypertension due to microvessel hyperreactivity in response to sympathetic stimulation.     

Substrate utilization during acute exercise in obese Zucker rats

The purpose of the present study was to compare the carbohydrate use of insulin-resistant obese Zucker rats with that of their lean littermates during steady-state exercise. Obese and lean rats were randomly assigned to a sedentary group or to a run group in which rats ran at 72-73% of their maximal O2 consumption, with the duration of exercise set to require an energy expenditure of 2.1-2.2 kcal. During the run the respiratory exchange ratio was significantly higher in the obese than in the lean rats [0.94 +/- 0.01 (SE) and 0.86 +/- 0.01, respectively], which indicate that the obese rats required 54% more carbohydrate than the lean rats. Total muscle glycogen utilization in the soleus, plantaris, and red and white gastrocnemius was not different between groups. Obese rats had total liver glycogen values five times greater than those of lean rats (833.38 +/- 101.4 and 152.8 +/- 37.5 mg, respectively) and utilized twice as much liver glycogen as their lean littermates (193.5 and 90.4 mg, respectively). The obese rats exhibited higher blood glucose and insulin concentrations than the lean rats during the run. These findings indicate that, despite their characteristic insulin resistance, the obese Zucker rats had a greater dependency on carbohydrate as a substrate during exercise than their lean littermates and that the major source of this carbohydrate was liver glycogen.