Effects of tempol on altered metabolism and renal vascular responsiveness in fructose-fed rats

This study investigated the effect of tempol (a superoxide dismutase mimetic) on renal vasoconstrictor responses to angiotensin II (Ang II) and adrenergic agonists in fructose-fed Sprague-Dawley rats (a model of metabolic syndrome). Rats were fed 20% fructose in drinking water (F) for 8 weeks. One fructose-fed group received tempol (FT) at 1 mmol.L-1 in drinking water for 8 weeks or as an infusion (1.5 mg.kg(-1).min(-1)) intrarenally. At the end of the treatment regimen, the renal responses to noradrenaline, phenylephrine, methoxamine, and Ang II were determined. F rats exhibited hyperinsulinemia, hyperuricemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension. Tempol reduced blood glucose and insulin levels (all p < 0.05) in FT rats compared with their untreated counterparts. The vasoconstriction response to all agonists was lower in F rats than in control rats by about 35%-65% (all p < 0.05). Vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline, phenylephrine, and methoxamine but not Ang II were about 41%-75% higher in FT rats compared with F rats (all p < 0.05). Acute tempol infusion blunted responses to noradrenaline, methoxamine, and Ang II in control rats by 32%, 33%, and 62%, while it blunted responses to noradrenaline and Ang II in F rats by 26% and 32%, respectively (all p < 0.05), compared with their untreated counterparts. Superoxide radicals play a crucial role in controlling renal vascular responses to adrenergic agonists in insulin-resistant rats. Chronic but not acute tempol treatment enhances renal vascular responsiveness in fructose-fed rats.