Influence of diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and their combination on EDHF-mediated responses in mice

The endothelium synthesizes and releases several vasodilator substances, including vasodilator prostaglandins, NO, and EDHF. NO-mediated relaxations are reduced by various risk factors, such as diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. However, it remains to be elucidated whether EDHF-mediated relaxations also are reduced by those factors and their combination. In this study, we addressed this point in mice. We used small mesenteric arteries from control, diabetic (streptozotocin-induced), apolipoprotein-E-deficient (ApoE^-/-), and diabetic ApoE^-/- mice. In control mice, endothelium-dependent relaxations to acetylcholine were largely mediated by EDHF. This EDHF-mediated component was slightly reduced in diabetic mice, preserved in ApoE^-/- mice, and markedly reduced in diabetic ApoE ^-/- mice with an increase in NO-mediated component and a negative contribution of indomethacin-sensitive endothelium-derived contracting factor (EDCF). Endothelium-independent relaxations to sodium nitroprusside or NS1619, a direct opener of calcium-activated K channels, were attenuated in ApoE ^-/- and diabetic ApoE^-/- mice. Endothelium-dependent hyperpolarizations were significantly reduced in diabetic mice, preserved in ApoE^-/- mice, and again markedly reduced in diabetic ApoE ^-/- mice. These results indicate that hypercholesterolemia alone minimally affects the EDHF-mediated relaxations, and diabetes mellitus significantly attenuated the responses, whereas their combination markedly attenuates the responses with a compensatory involvement of NO and a negative contribution of EDCF.