Intracerebroventricular infusion of angiotensin AT2 receptor agonist novokinin aggravates some diabetes-mellitus-induced alterations in Wistar rats.

Cumulative data suggest the significant role of the renin-angiotensin system in the development of the pathological consequences of diabetes mellitus (DM). Newly synthesized AT2 receptor agonists gained importance as a target for creating new antihypertensives. The aim of the present work was to study the effects of peptide AT2 agonist novokinin, infused intracerebroventricularly, on the consequences of the streptozotocin-induced type 1 DM (T1DM) in Wistar rats. Food and water consumption, body mass, urine excretion (metabolic cages), motor activity (open-field test), anxiety (elevated plus maze), nociception (paw pressure analgesimeter test), spatial memory (T-maze alternation test), and plasma levels of glucose and corticosterone (ELISA) were assessed 2 weeks after the T1DM induction. Novokinin increased water and food consumption, as well as urine output, and reduced mass gain in the control rats. Diabetic rats demonstrated hyperalgesia, increased level of plasma corticosterone, decreased motor and exploratory activity, and impaired spatial memory. Novokinin infusion increased water intake, diuresis, and mortality rate, decreased food intake, exacerbated diabetes-induced hyperalgesia, and provoked anxiety-like behavior but improved spatial memory in diabetic rats. These initial data suggest that angiotensin AT2 receptors participate in the pathogenesis of T1DM-induced complications in the function of the nervous system.