RESUMO
Diabetes and hypertension are closely related diseases associated with changes in membrane fluidity. Here, we measured the membrane fluidity of erythrocyte ghosts from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), with or without streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes, at the ages of 1, 3 and 6 months, by introducing the use of the intramolecular excimer forming dipyrenylpropane (DPyP) in this model. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was induced in 48-h-old, newborn male SHR by intraperitoneal injection of STZ. We found lower excimer to monomer (I (e)/I (m)) DPyP ratios in diabetic SHR than in control SHR at 3 and 6 months old, indicating a decrease in membrane fluidity. Simultaneously, the composition of fatty acids was determined and it was found that the unsaturated to saturated fatty acids ratio (U/S) was compatible with changes in membrane fluidity. These results suggest that the change in fatty acid composition of erythrocyte ghosts contributes significantly to the decreased membrane fluidity detected with DPyP in diabetic SHR.