Bradykinin may not be involved in improvement of insulin resistance by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor.

We have previously demonstrated that captopril ameliorates glucose intolerance by partially preventing the reduction in postprandial skeletal muscle blood flow. The present study was designed to clarify the mechanism by which ACE inhibitors affect glucose metabolism in fructose (FRU)-fed Wistar rats with hypertension, glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinemia. Eight-week-old male rats (n = 51) were divided into six groups. Controls were given a normal chow, while fructose-rich (55%) chow was administered to the remainder for eight weeks. The different groups were administered alacepril (ALA, 30 mg/kg/day) with or without a continuous infusion of Hoe 140, a kinin B2 receptor antagonist (150 micrograms/kg/day), Hoe 140 alone or TCV-116 (1 mg/kg/day), an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, alone. After measuring the body weight and systolic blood pressure (BP), steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) levels were determined. FRU significantly increased BP from 141 mmHg in controls to 156 mmHg. ALA with or without Hoe 140 decreased BP to 124 mmHg or 117 mmHg, respectively, but Hoe 140 alone did not affect BP. TCV-116 also decreased BP to 116 mmHg. The SSPG levels increased from 7.58 mM in controls to 8.98 mM in FRU-fed rats. This was lowered with both ALA and TCV-116. Hoe 140 alone, however, did not affect SSPG levels. Hoe 140 did not show any effects on ALA-induced improvement of SSPG. These results suggest that the improvement in glucose tolerance observed with ACE inhibitors is not due to the kinins, and angiotensin II receptor antagonists also improve insulin sensitivity.