Hemorheological abnormalities in rats with experimental mild diabetes: improving effect of troxerutine and α-tocopherol

We investigated the effect of intravenous 2mM Troxerutine and 10mM α-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) and their combination on erythrocyte aggregation and deformability, blood viscosity and leukocyte adhesivity in rats made mildly diabetic (fasting glycemia: 10mM vs 6mM in controls; HbA₁c: 6.5% vs 3% in controls) by a low dose of streptozotocin (35mg/kg) injected via the saphenous vein. In diabetic rats, as compared to controls, erythrocyte aggregation and blood viscosity were dramatically increased (disaggregation shear stress: 5.2 ± 0.4 dynes/cm² vs 3.7 ± 0.3 dynes/cm² in controls), whereas erythrocyte deformability and mesenteric blood flow were sharply decreased. Moreover, leukocyte adhesivity was significantly increased. In diabetic rats, the combination of Troxerutine and Tocopherol improved all the above cited parameters. These data show that mild diabetes in rats results in many hemorheological disorders that can be largely corrected by Troxerutine and α-Tocopherol.