Alterations in cardiac sarcolemmal Ca2+ pump activity during diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is frequently associated with a primary cardiomyopathy. The mechanisms responsible for this heart disease are not clear, but an alteration in myocardial Ca2+ transport is believed to be involved in its development. Even though sarcolemma plays a crucial role in cellular Ca2+ transport, little appears to be known about its Ca2+ transporting capability in the diabetic myocardium. In this regard, we have examined the status of the cardiac sarcolemmal Ca2+ pump during diabetes mellitus. Purified sarcolemmal membranes were isolated from male Wistar diabetic rat hearts 8 wk after streptozotocin injection (55 mg/kg iv). Ca2+ pump activity assessed by measuring its Ca2+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase and Ca2+-uptake ability in the absence and presence of calmodulin was significantly depressed in the diabetic myocardium relative to controls. These results did not appear to have been influenced by the minimal sarcoplasmic reticular and mitochondrial contamination of this membrane preparation. Hence, it appears that the sarcolemmal Ca2+ pump is defective in the diabetic myocardium and may be involved in the altered Ca2+ transport of the heart during diabetes mellitus.