The effect of alloxan- and streptozotocin-induced diabetes on calcium transport in rat cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. The possible involvement of long chain acylcarnitines

Isolated working hearts from diabetic rats have a decreased ability to respond to increasing preload or afterload. The ability of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum to transport Ca2+ was examined in diabetic rats. Hearts were obtained from female Wistar rats 120 days or 7 days after the induction of diabetes by a single I.V. injection of either alloxan (65 mg/kg) or streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). At all Ca2+ concentrations tested (0.2-5.0 microM free Ca2+) cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum from 120-day diabetic rats showed a significant decrease in the rate of ATP-dependent tris-oxalate facilitated Ca2+ transport (62-73% of control). This was accompanied by a decrease in Ca2+ ATPase activity. The levels of long chain acylcarnitines associated with the microsomal sarcoplasmic reticulum preparation from 120-day diabetic rats were significantly higher than those present in sarcoplasmic reticulum from control rats. Palmitylcarnitine, the most abundant of the long chain acylcarnitines, in concentrations less than 7 microM was found to be a potent time-dependent inhibitor of Ca2+ transport in both control and diabetic rat sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations; inhibition of Ca2+ transport was found to be more marked in the control preparations. This would indicate that a degree of inhibition produced by the high endogenous levels of palmitylcarnitine may already be present in the diabetic rat preparations. Cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum prepared from acutely diabetic rats (7 days) did not show any decrease in Ca2+ transport ability. Levels of long chain acylcarnitines associated with the microsomal preparation enriched in sarcoplasmic reticulum were also unchanged. These findings suggest that the alteration in heart function in 120-day diabetic rats may be due to the buildup of cellular long chain acylcarnitines which inhibit sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ transport. The absence of any change in Ca2+-transport activity or levels of long chain acylcarnitines at 7 days suggests that the alterations seen in 120-day diabetic rats must be of gradual onset.