Table 1.
Physiological parameters of control mother offspring (CMO) and diabetic mother offspring (DMO).
Fig 1.
Vascular relaxation of mesenteric arteries in control (CMO) and diabetic (DMO) mother offspring.
Concentration-response curve to acetylcholine (ACh, A) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, B). Bar graphs represent the level of pre-contraction induced by 10-6M phenylephrine. Values are mean ± SEM (n = 7 minimum per group). * p<0.05 and ** p<0.01 DMO vs. CMO.
Fig 2.
Prostacyclin-mediated relaxation and receptor expression level in control (CMO) and diabetic (DMO) mother offspring.
(A) Relative protein expression of the prostacyclin receptor (IP receptor) was analysed by Western-blot in mesenteric arteries of CMO (open bars, n = 5) and DMO (solid bars, n = 5); each value was normalised to β-actin protein expression. (B) Left panel represents phenylephrine (PE)-induced pre-contraction level; right panel shows concentration-relaxation response curve to beraprost of mesenteric arteries in CMO and DMO (n = 5 at 3 months and n = 7 at 18 months of age for each group). Values are mean ± SEM. (C) Measurement of serum 6-keto-PGF1-α (prostacyclin metabolite) in CMO (n = 6) and DMO (n = 6). Each bar graph represents mean ± SEM. * p<0.05 DMO vs. CMO and ## p<0.01 18 vs. 3 months-old animals.
Fig 3.
Western blot analysis of contractile proteins.
(A) Activity of MLC reflected by the pMLC/MLC ratio; (B) activity of PKA reflected by the pPKA/PKA ratio; (C) activity of RhoA reflected by the RhoA-GTP/RhoA ratio; (D) activity of MAP kinase P38 reflected by the ratio of pP38/P38 and protein expression levels of (E) filamin-1 and (F) profilin-1, normalised to β-actin were measured in mesenteric arteries from 3- and 18-month old CMO and DMO. Values are mean ± SEM (n = 5 minimum per group). * p<0.05 and ** p<0.01 DMO vs. CMO at the same age, ## p<0.05 18 vs. 3 months of age.
Fig 4.
Vascular contraction and histomorphological parameters of mesenteric arteries from control (CMO) and diabetic (DMO) mother offspring.
(A) Concentration–response curve to phenylephrine (PE); (B) KCl-induced contraction; (C) passive arterial diameter measured in response to increased pressure; (D) myogenic tone and (E) lumen diameter, media cross-sectional area (MCSA), intima-media thickness (IMT) and remodelling index (media/lumen ratio). Values are mean ± SEM (n = 5 minimum per group). ** p<0.01 DMO vs. CMO at 18 months of age; ### p<0.001 CMO 18 vs. CMO 3.