Effect of Antihypertensive Treatment With Alacepril on Insulin Resistance in Diabetic Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Abstract Recent clinical reports have described the close relationship between insulin resistance and hypertension. Previous reports from our laboratory documented that spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) have mild insulin resistance, and that this insulin resistance is more intense in SHR with diabetes induced by streptozotocin (STZ). The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of antihypertensive treatment with alacepril on insulin resistance in these diabetic SHR. Animals were divided into four groups as follows: group A, nondiabetic SHR; group B, diabetic SHR; group C, diabetic SHR treated with 0.05% alacepril; and group D, diabetic SHR treated with 0.1% alacepril. Diabetes was induced by intravenous (IV) injection of STZ (35 mg/kg bodyweight [BW]). Alacepril was given orally by mixing in laboratory chow. Mean (±SD) blood pressure was lowered in the alacepril-treated groups (A 212 ± 7 mm Hg and B 213 ± 8 v C 184 ± 6 and D 167 ± 9; P C47.2 ± 4.5 > D 42.3 ± 1.4 > A 34.2 ± 1.2; P v 10.4 ± 0.8; P P r = .79, P r = .53, P r = .70, P r = −.74, P