Diabetes causes accelerated vascular dysfunction through mechanisms that are poorly understood. This study examined the role of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), Ras-GTPase and 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in the development of abnormal reactivity to vasoactive agents in the carotid artery of diabetic rats. The vasoconstrictor response induced by endothelin-1 (ET-I) was significantly increased, whereas vasodilator response to carbachol was significantly reduced in the carotid artery segments of the STZ-diabetic rats. In contrast, the vasoconstrictor response to depolarization of the carotid arterial rings with 50 mM KCl was similar in control and diabetic animals. Chronic intraperitoneal administration of KN-93 (5 mg/kg/alt diem), an inhibitor of CaMKII, FPTIII (1.5 mg/kg/aIt diem), an inhibitor of Ras-GTPase, and inhibitors of 20-HETE formation 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT, 50 mg/kg/alt diem) and N-hydroxy-N'-(4-butyl-2-methylphenyl)formamidine (HET0016, 2.5 mg/kg/day), produced significant normalization of the altered agonist-induced vasoconstrictor and vasodilator responses without affecting blood glucose levels. All the inhibitors were administered for 4 weeks starting from the day 1 of diabetes induction. Inhibition of CaMKII, Ras-GTPase or 20-HETE formation did not affect the agonist-induced vasoconstrictor and vasodilator responses in the non-diabetic control animals. These data indicate that chronic blockade of CaMKII, Ras-GTPase or the production of 20-HETE normalizes the altered vascular reactivity to ET-1 and carbachol in the carotid artery of STZ-induced diabetic rats. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.