Effects of chelator treatment on aorta and corpus cavernosum from diabetic rats

Transition-metal catalyzed reactions contribute to oxidative stress, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. The aim was to evaluate the effects of treatment with the transition metal chelator trientine on endothelium-dependent relaxation of aorta and corpus cavernosum from streptozotocin-induced diabetes of 8 weeks duration in rats. Effects on cavernosum autonomic innervation were also examined. Diabetes caused a 30.1 ± 3.8% reduction in maximum aorta endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine (ACh), which was markedly attenuated (72.7 ± 10.6%) by trientine treatment. Reversal treatment (4 weeks untreated diabetes, 4 weeks trientine) did not effect endothelium-dependent relaxation compared with aortas from rats with 4 weeks of diabetes, however, there was a 22.5 ± 6.2% improvement compared with 8 weeks of diabetes. Eight weeks of diabetes caused a 41.5 ± 6.6% reduction in corpus cavernosum endothelium-dependent maximum relaxation to ACh that was 70.1 ± 16.9% prevented by trientine. Cavernosum nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) nerve stimulation caused frequency-dependent relaxation to a maximum of 40.9 ± 2.4%, which was reduced by diabetes to 24.2 ± 2.1%. Trientine partially prevented this deficit, maximum relaxation being 31.9 ± 2.3%. Thus, metal chelator treatment has beneficial effects on aorta and cavernosum endothelium-dependent relaxation and on cavernosum NANC innervation.