Cardiovasc Diabetol
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Cardiovasc Diabetol · Jan 2013
Effects of two weeks of metformin treatment on whole-body glycocalyx barrier properties in db/db mice.
The anti-diabetic drug metformin has been demonstrated to exert a protective effect against vascular complications in diabetes independent of its glucose lowering action. Since the endothelial glycocalyx has been indicated to have important vasculoprotective properties and to be vulnerable to degradation by hyperglycemic conditions, we evaluated in the current study the effect of short-term metformin treatment on whole-body glycocalyx barrier properties in a mouse model of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (db/db mouse). ⋯ Two weeks of metformin in the drinking water is associated with an improvement in glycocalyx barrier properties in db/db mice, as evidence by an enhanced exclusion and retention of 70 kDa dextrans in the vasculature. In addition, metformin improved hydration of heart and kidney. Previous reported cardiovascular benefits of metformin may well involve an improvement of the endothelial glycocalyx.
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Cardiovasc Diabetol · Jan 2013
Asymmetric dimethylarginine predicts decline of glucose tolerance in men with stable coronary artery disease: a 4.5-year follow-up study.
Endothelial dysfunction, largely dependent on impaired nitric oxide bioavailability, has been reportedly associated with incident type 2 diabetes. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide formation, might be linked to future deterioration in glucose tolerance in stable coronary artery disease (CAD). ⋯ ADMA predicts future deterioration of glucose tolerance independently of baseline insulin resistance in men with stable CAD. Whether this association reflects a contribution of endothelial dysfunction to accelerated decline of insulin sensitivity, or represents only an epiphenomenon accompanying pre-diabetes, remains to be elucidated. The observed relationship might contribute to the well-recognized ability of ADMA to predict cardiovascular outcome.
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Cardiovasc Diabetol · Jan 2013
Early cardiac changes in a rat model of prediabetes: brain natriuretic peptide overexpression seems to be the best marker.
Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is defined as structural and functional changes in the myocardium due to metabolic and cellular abnormalities induced by diabetes mellitus (DM). The impact of prediabetic conditions on the cardiac tissue remains to be elucidated. The goal of this study was to elucidate whether cardiac dysfunction is already present in a state of prediabetes, in the presence of insulin resistance, and to unravel the underlying mechanisms, in a rat model without obesity and hypertension as confounding factors. ⋯ This animal model of prediabetes/insulin resistance could be an important tool to evaluate the early cardiac impact of dysmetabolism (hyperinsulinemia and impaired glucose tolerance with fasting normoglycemia), without confounding factors such as obesity and hypertension. Left ventricle hypertrophy is already present and brain natriuretic peptide seems to be the best early marker for this condition.