Coronary arterioles in type 2 diabetic (db/db) mice undergo a distinct pattern of remodeling associated with decreased vessel stiffness

Basic Res Cardiol. 2011 Nov;106(6):1123-34. doi: 10.1007/s00395-011-0201-0. Epub 2011 Jul 10.

Abstract

Little is known about the impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) on coronary arteriole remodeling. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms that underlie coronary arteriole structural remodeling in type 2 diabetic (db/db) mice. Passive structural properties of septal coronary arterioles isolated from 12- to 16-week-old diabetic db/db and control mice were assessed by pressure myography. Coronary arterioles from 12-week-old db/db mice were structurally similar to age-matched controls. By 16 weeks of age, coronary wall thickness was increased in db/db arterioles (p < 0.01), while luminal diameter was reduced (control: 118 ± 5 μm; db/db: 102 ± 4 μm, p < 0.05), augmenting the wall-to-lumen ratio by 58% (control: 5.9 ± 0.6; db/db: 9.5 ± 0.4, p < 0.001). Inward hypertrophic remodeling was accompanied by a 56% decrease in incremental elastic modulus (p < 0.05, indicating decreased vessel coronary wall stiffness) and a ~30% reduction in coronary flow reserve (CFR) in diabetic mice. Interestingly, aortic pulse wave velocity and femoral artery incremental elastic modulus were increased (p < 0.05) in db/db mice, indicating macrovascular stiffness. Molecular tissue analysis revealed increased elastin-to-collagen ratio in diabetic coronaries when compared to control and a decrease in the same ratio in the diabetic aortas. These data show that coronary arterioles isolated from type 2 diabetic mice undergo inward hypertrophic remodeling associated with decreased stiffness and increased elastin-to-collagen ratio which results in a decreased CFR. This study suggests that coronary microvessels undergo a different pattern of remodeling from macrovessels in type 2 DM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arterioles / chemistry
  • Arterioles / metabolism
  • Arterioles / pathology*
  • Collagen Type I
  • Coronary Vessels / chemistry
  • Coronary Vessels / metabolism
  • Coronary Vessels / pathology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / metabolism
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / pathology*
  • Elasticity / physiology*
  • Elastin / analysis
  • Elastin / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Mutant Strains
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • Collagen Type I
  • Elastin