Abstract
Alloxan diabetes was induced in 18 rabbits. Five days later, the thoracic aorta and the intima that had grown inside the surface of the artificial vessel, which was grafted at the site of the carotid artery more than 3 months before, were separated. The radioactivity of 14CO2 and 14C-lactate were measured after incubation of the tissue with 1-14C-glucose and 6-14C-glucose.
The ratios of 14CO2 produced from 1-14C-glucose and 6-14C-glucose in the intima were 7.8±4.1 in the control group and 78.9±58.7 in the diabetic group (p<0.025), and the ratio was positively correlated with the levels of blood glucose and plasma triglyceride; the ratios in the aorta were 2.33±0.89 and 3.67±1.37, respectively (p<0.025). The ratios of 14C-lactate produced from 1-14C-glucose and 6-14C-glucose in the intima were 0.74±0.23 in the control group and 1.03±0.38 in the diabetic group (n. s.); the ratios in the aorta were 0.83±0.18 and 0.60±0.12, respectively (p<0.005).
These results suggested that activity of the hexose monophosphate shunt is relatively enhanced in intima from diabetic rabbits, a finding which may be related to vascular complications in diabetes mellitus.
