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Biochem. J. (2006) 397 (427–436) (Printed in Great Britain)

Early alterations in myocardia and vessels of the diabetic rat heart: an FTIR microspectroscopic study

Neslihan TOYRAN*1, Peter LASCH†, Dieter NAUMANN†, Belma TURAN‡ and Feride SEVERCAN*2

*Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06531 Ankara, Turkey, †P25-Biomedical Spectroscopy, Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, D-13353 Berlin, Germany, and ‡Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey

Diabetes mellitus is associated with a high incidence and poor prognosis of cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of relatively short-term (5 weeks) Type I diabetes on the left ventricle, the right ventricle and the vessel (vein) on the left ventricle of the myocardium at molecular level by FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) microspectroscopy. The rats were categorized into two groups: control group (for the left ventricle myocardium, n=8; for the right ventricle myocardium, n=9; for the vein, n=9) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic group (for the left ventricle myocardium, n=7; for the right ventricle myocardium, n=9; for the vein, n=8). Two adjacent cross-sections of 9 µm thickness were taken from the ventricles of the hearts in two groups of rats by using a cryotome. The first sections were used for FTIR microspectroscopy measurements. The second serial sections were stained by haematoxylin/eosin for comparative purposes. Diabetes caused an increase in the content of lipids, an alteration in protein profile with a decrease in a-helix and an increase in b-sheet structure as well as an increase in glycogen and glycolipid contents in both ventricles and the vein. Additionally, the collagen content was found to be increased in the vein of the diabetic group. The present study demonstrated that diabetes-induced alterations in the rat heart can be detected by correlating the IR spectral changes with biochemical profiles in detail. The present study for the first time demonstrated the diabetes-induced alterations at molecular level in both ventricle myocardia and the veins in relatively short-term diabetes.

Key words: Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), microscopy, myocardium, Type I diabetes, vein, ventricle.

Abbreviations used: AGE, advanced glycation end-product; DM, diabetes mellitus; FTIR, Fourier-transform infrared; FWHH, full width at half height; H/E, haematoxylin/eosin; STZ, streptozotocin.

¹Present address: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, 06530 Ankara, Turkey.

²To whom correspondence should be addressed (email feride@metu.edu.tr).

Received 30 January 2006/5 April 2006; accepted 12 April 2006

Published as BJ Immediate Publication 12 April 2006, doi:10.1042/BJ20060171

The Biochemical Society, London ©2006

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