Plasma Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Rabbits with Alloxan Monohydrate-induced Diabetes Mellitus.

The effect of alloxan monohydrate-induced diabetes on the resting plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) level was investigated in 22 male New Zealand white rabbits. Alloxan monohydrate (100 mg/kg) dissolved in saline at a concentration of 50 mg/ml was administered by a single intravenous injection 3 months before the experimental analysis. The diabetic state was examined 72 h later by quantitative determination of blood glucose levels of >350 mg/dl. Beginning on day 3, 14 animals (Group 1) received a daily subcutaneous injection of 1 U insulin having moderate hyperglycemia (blood glucose concentration [BGC] between 300 and 400 mg/dl). Eight animals (Group 2; normoglycemic controls) received 3.2 U of insulin daily to maintain the BGC below 100 mg/dl. Eight healthy rabbits were included in the study as controls (Group 3). Blood samples for ANP analysis were obtained three months after administration of alloxan monohydrate. The plasma ANP levels in moderately diabetic rabbits (328 +/- 43 pg/ml) were significantly higher than those in normoglycemic (98.5 +/- 20 pg/ml) and healthy (76.6 +/- 18 pg/ml) controls (p < 0.001 for both). In addition, we found a significant correlation between plasma levels of glucose and levels of ANP (r = 0.665, p < 0.001). Our data indicate that further experiments need to be performed to investigate what is responsible for the elevation of plasma ANP levels in diabetic rabbits.