The present study was conducted to assess the effects of whole body cooling on multiorgan dysfunction that occurred during
heatstroke in
streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The rats were randomly divided into four groups: [1] the normal control, [2] diabetic control, [3] diabetic
heatstroke, and [4] diabetic
heatstroke-whole body cooling (WBC). They were exposed to ambient temperature of 43 degrees C for exactly 58 min to induce
heatstroke. When the diabetic
heatstroke rats underwent heat stress, their survival time values were found to be 11-13 min. Immediately after the onset of
heatstroke,
resuscitation with body cooling greatly improved survival (221-257 min). Compared with the diabetic (STZ-treated) controls, the diabetic-
heatstroke rats displayed higher levels of body temperature, intracranial pressure, serum
nitric oxide metabolite,
tumor necrosis factor-alpha and
dihydroxybenzoic acid, blood
urea nitrogen,
creatinine,
alanine aminotransferase,
aspartate aminotransferase, and
alkaline phosphatase. In contrast, the values of mean arterial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, and brain levels of local blood flow, and partial pressure of
oxygen were all significantly lower during
heatstroke. The cerebrovascular, renal, and hepatic dysfunction, the increased levels of
nitric oxide metabolites,
tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and
dihydroxybenzoic acid in the serum during
heatstroke were significantly reduced by WBC. Although the serum
interleukin-10 maintained at a negligible levels before heat stress, they were significantly elevated by WBC in diabetic-
heatstroke rats. The data demonstrate that
heatstroke-induced multiorgan dysfunction in
streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats can be decreased by WBC.