ABSTRACT
The study of integrated cardiovascular function in the intact, streptozotocin (STZ)-treated rat is still in its infancy. An understanding of the potentially myriad effects of autonomic neuropathy on cardiovascular function in streptozotocin-treated rats currently exists at a somewhat rudimentary level. Measuring vascular sensitivity in the intact animal is clearly more physiologically valid. General consensus would appear to support the proposition that blood pressure is reduced in STZ-treated rats. Plasma osmolality, the primary determinant of vasopressin (AVP) release, is known to be significantly elevated in STZ-treated rats. The effect of STZ administration upon other components of the renin-angiotensin system is less obvious. The pulse interval response to a drug-induced increase in arterial pressure, as a measure of cardiac baroreflex sensitivity, was first described by Smyth et al. using human subjects. To elucidate the underlying cause of diabetic cardiomyopathy, a number of studies have been carried out using rats injected with STZ.
