In vitro effects of calcium dobesilate on the responsiveness of spontaneously diabetic rat aorta.

We tested the effect of calcium dobesilate (DOBE) in aorta from spontaneously diabetic (BB/wor) rats. The contraction induced by 10(-6) M noradrenaline (NA) in BB/wor rats was smaller than that induced in control rats (1.21+/-0.11 vs 0.82+/-0.02 g, P<0.01, n=8, respectively) in arteries with intact endothelium. Incubation with DOBE (10(-4) M) impaired the contractions induced by NA in BB/wor rats (1.21+/-0.11 vs 0.67+/-0.01 g, P<0.01, n=8). The effect of DOBE was reversed by 10(-6) M propranolol (0.67+/-0.01 vs 1.20+/-0.60g, P<0.001, n=8, with 10(-4) M DOBE and 10(-4)M DOBE plus 10(-6) M propranolol, respectively). DOBE increased the endothelium-dependent relaxation in arteries from diabetic rats. These findings suggest that DOBE might improve vascular reactivity in BB/wor rats.