Étude de la vasodilatation cutanée induite par la pression au cours d'un diabète expérimental avec ou sans neuropathie

Pressure-induced vasodilation (PIV) is a mechanism whereby skin blood flow increases in response to progressive locally applied pressure. PIV decreases early in diabetic patients as a result of vascular and/or neural impairment. This work was designed to determine the effect of vascular changes and neurovascular changes on PIV in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. We determined whether the diabetes-induced PIV alteration could be prevented or restored by pharmacological agents in these different terms of diabetes. Alpha-lipoic acid treatment was able to preserve PIV response in diabetic mice in short-term diabetes without neuropathy. Sorbinil treatment restored PIV response in a long-term diabetes with severe neuropathy. Alpha-lipoic acid and sorbinil treatments by preserving and by restoring the cutaneous PIV response respectively should preserve the normal reaction to pressure strain, which might limit the risk of pressure-induced ulcer in diabetic patients.