Moreover, these differences were consistent with invasively measured parameters. One big advantage of our study was that we tried to validate these differences detected by tissue Doppler imaging against those from LV conductance

catheter known as the reference method. The features of LV dysfunction in rat model of type 1 DM, which is induced by streptozocin, are variable and controversial. Several researchers have reported reduced fractional learn more shortening Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and impaired dP/dtmax within 10 weeks after diabetes induction.7),9),16),17) In contrast, in this study, there were no impairment in fractional shortening and ejection faction, which are most widely used parameters for assessing systolic function of ventricle. Moreover, decrease in dP/dtmax,

which was acquired from invasive pressure measurement and one of the good parameters reflecting contractility, was not demonstrated. The values of ejection fraction and dP/dtmax are well known to be dependent on loading conditions. In this study, end-diastolic volume, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical stroke volume and cardiac output, when they were indexed to body weight, were significantly increased in diabetes group compared to normal control. These findings indicate that 10 week old diabetes rats were in the early stage of heart failure, maintaining cardiac output by increasing preloads. Therefore, one key finding of current study is the possibility of echocardiography as a non-invasive Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical testing for early detection of LV dysfunction in diabetic rat. Yoon et al.18) evaluated the natural course of streptozocin induced diabetic SD rat by serial echocardiography over 12 months, and found that 2-3 month after diabetes induction, diastolic dysfunction was prevalent in all diabetic rat, and the average time from induction of DM to development of HF, defined by both systolic and diastolic dysfunction, was 9.2 months. However, they Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical defined LV dysfunction using fractional shortening and parameters from mitral inflow, and thus, subclinical LV dysfunction both in systolic and diastole might have

been overlooked. Although there were no differences in fractional shortening and parameters derived from mitral inflow between diabetes and normal control, s’ velocity Pifithrin-�� mw of mitral annulus was impaired in diabetes group compared to the control group. Furthermore, e’ velocity was reduced and E/e’ ratio, which is known to reflect LV filling pressure19) even in rat,20),21) was elevated. Therefore, there are possibilities that tissue Doppler imaging22) could replace invasive hemodynamic measurement for early detection and determination of therapeutic effect, but further studies should be carried out. In addition, current study provides a clue for further studies in terms of early detection using far advanced technologies such as speckle tracking imaging or velocity vector imaging.