Islet transplantation improves glucose oxidation and mechanical function in diabetic rat hearts
In poorly controlled diabetes an impairment of glucose use can contribute to a depression in mechanical function of rat hearts. In this study we determined the effects of islet transplantation on glucose use and heart function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Myocardial function, glycolysis, and glucose oxidation were measured in isolated working hearts obtained from control, diabetic, and islet-transplanted diabetic Wistar–Furth rats. Islets (1200) were transplanted beneath the kidney capsule 2 weeks after a single i.v. dose of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). The study consisted of three groups: (i) islet-transplanted diabetic rats, (ii) untreated diabetic controls, and (iii) normal controls. Following 11 weeks of monitoring, working hearts were perfused at a 11.5-mmHg (1 mmHg = 133.3 Pa) preload and 80-mmHg afterload, with buffer containing 11 mM [5-3H, 14C(U)]glucose, 1.2 mM palmitate, and 100 μU/mL insulin. In untreated diabetic rat hearts, glucose oxidation rates were markedly depressed compared with control hearts (30.4 ± 4 and 510 ± 68 nmol∙g−1 dry wt.∙min−1, respectively). Low glucose oxidation rates in diabetic rats were significantly improved in islet-transplanted animals (234 ± 39 nmol∙g−1 dry wt.∙min−1). The low glucose oxidation rates in untreated diabetic rat hearts were accompanied by an impaired mechanical function compared with control hearts, which was improved by islet transplantation (heart rate × developed pressure × 10−3 was 10.6 ± 0.9, 14.8 ± 1.3, and 14.8 ± 1.5 beats∙mmHg∙min−1, respectively). In the presence of insulin, steady-state rates of glycolysis were only slightly depressed in untreated diabetic rat hearts compared with control (1944 ± 436 and 2720 ± 265 nmol∙g−1 dry wt.∙min−1, respectively). However, during a reduction of coronary flow to 0.5 mL∙min−1, glycolytic rates accelerated in control and islet-transplanted rat hearts, but not in untreated diabetic rat hearts. These data show that the decrease in glucose use that occurs in untreated diabetic rats under both aerobic and ischemic conditions can be significantly alleviated by islet transplantation. The increase in glucose oxidation in aerobic hearts supports our previous studies, which suggest that increasing glucose oxidation can improve function in diabetic rat hearts.Key words: glucose oxidation, glycolysis, diabetes, islet transplantation.