The sensitivity of adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) to the diabetogenic effect of streptozotocin (STZ) was studied. The animals were subdivided into three groups: control (citrate buffer), streptozotocin 40 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg, and general biologic parameters were analyzed, in addition to systolic blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin levels determinations. Both doses were able to induce hyperglycemia above 300 mg/dl; however, 50 mg/kg provoked a more pronounced physiological alterations in body weight, diuresis, water and food intake. There was no change on systolic blood pressure with either dose. Results suggested that SHRs did not need doses of streptozotocin above 40mg/kg in order to produce diabetes probably because this strain was much more sensible than normotensive rats. In addition, streptozotocin might be a drug choice to induce diabetes without provoking alterations in the blood pressure which allowed the use of this experimental model in the studies of induced hypertension-diabetes.
Streptozotocin; SHR; diabetes; blood pressure; insulin
