RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the important clinical problems of diabetic cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin E on blood pressure parameters and adhesive molecule amounts in diabetic rats. METHODS: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into three groups (each of n = 8): the controls (C), non-treated diabetic (NTD), and vitamin E treated diabetic (VETD) groups. A single intraperitoneal injection of buffered streptozotocin (60 mg/kg) in cold sodium citrate (pH 4.5) was used to induce diabetes. The VETD group received 300 mg of vitamin E daily intragastrically for 6 weeks. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, as well as the dicrotic pressure, crest time, systolic and diastolic periods, and plasma levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin were measured after 6 weeks. RESULTS: The results revealed that there was a significant increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, mean arterial pressure, crest time, systolic duration, and the amount of sICAM-1 and E-selectin in diabetic rats. There was no significant difference in the heart rate or cardiac cyclic duration among the different groups. Significant improvement of blood pressure parameters as well as attenuation of the elevated ICAM-1 and E-selectin amounts was found in the vitamin E treated group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that vitamin E significantly improved blood pressure elevation in diabetic rats and that these effects could be associated with reducing adhesive molecule and antioxidant properties of vitamin E.
