Temocapril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, protects against diabetes-induced endothelial dysfunction

The effect of chronic treatment with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, temocapril, on prevention of endothelial dysfunction was evaluated in an experimental model of diabetes mellitus. Endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was impaired while endothelium-independent relaxation to nitroglycerin was unaltered in diabetic aortic ring segments. Treatment of diabetic animals with temocapril prevented the impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation without altering responses to nitroglycerin. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation was largely due to nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation; however, a small but significant portion of relaxation in aortic rings from temocapril-treated diabetic rats was resistant to inhibition by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-nitroarginine.