Potassium homeostasis in chronic experimental diabetes mellitus in rats.

To examine potassium homeostasis in diabetes mellitus, we observed the effect of dietary potassium loading on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and potassium balance in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. In diabetic rats with 26.51 +/- 1.89 mmol/l of serum glucose, the plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone (PA), immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and urinary excretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were all significantly lower than in control rats, but the plasma potassium and renal function were not significantly different. With potassium loading, both control and diabetic rats showed a similar increase in plasma potassium and urinary potassium excretion and a decrease in PRA, but the IRI, plasma corticosterone and urinary excretion of PGE2 exhibited no significant change. On the other hand, the PA was significantly increased only in the control rats, and not in the diabetic rats on potassium loading. Based up on these results, it is suggested that potassium homeostasis is well maintained in diabetic rats with normal renal function in spite of an attenuated response of aldosterone secretion to dietary potassium loading and insulin deficiency.