Serotonin-promoted elevation of ROS levels may lead to cardiac pathologies in diabetic rat

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) develop tendencies toward heart disease. Hyperglycemia induces the release of serotonin from enterochromaffin cells (EC). Serotonin was observed to elevate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and downregulate antioxidant enzymes. As a result, elevated levels of serotonin could contribute to diabetic complications, including cardiac hypertrophy. In the present study, diabetes mellitus was induced in rats by alloxan administration; this was followed by the administration of serotonin to experimental animals. ROS, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) expression, and histopathological assessments were performed. Elevated ROS concentrations and decreased antioxidant enzyme activities were detected. Further, we observed an increase in cell surface area and elevated BNP expression which suggests that events associated with cardiac hypertrophy were increased in serotonin-administered diabetic rats. We conclude that serotonin secretion in diabetes could contribute to diabetic complications, including cardiac hypertrophy, through enhanced ROS production.