Distribution of elements and water in peripheral nerve of streptozocin-induced diabetic rats

Journal Article · Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Diabetes; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2337/diabetes.39.12.1498· OSTI ID:6169389

Lowery, J M; Eichberg, J; Saubermann, A J; LoPachin, Jr, R M ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Houston, TX (USA)

Accumulating evidence suggests that alterations in Na, Ca, K, and other biologically relevant elements play a role in the mechanism of cell injury. The pathogenesis of experimental diabetic neuropathy is unknown but might include changes in the distribution of these elements in morphological compartments. In this study, this possibility was examined via electron-probe X-ray microanalysis to measure both concentrations of elements (millimoles of element per kilogram dry or wet weight) and cell water content (percent water) in frozen, unfixed, unstained sections of peripheral nerve from control and streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Our results indicate that after 20 wk of experimental diabetes, mitochondria and axoplasm from myelinated axons of proximal sciatic nerve displayed diminished K and Cl content, whereas in tibial nerve, the intraaxonal levels of these elements increased. In distal sciatic nerve, mitochondrial and axoplasmic levels of Ca were increased, whereas other elemental alterations were not observed. These regional changes resulted in a reversal of the decreasing proximodistal concentration gradients for K and Cl, which exist in nondiabetic rat sciatic nerve. Our results cannot be explained on the basis of altered water. Highly distinctive changes in elemental distribution observed might be a critical component of the neurotoxic mechanism underlying diabetic neuropathy.

• OSTI ID: 6169389
• Journal Information: Diabetes; (USA), Vol. 39:12; ISSN 0012-1797
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
DIABETES MELLITUS
PATHOGENESIS
ELEMENTS
BODY COMPOSITION
NERVES
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
WATER
ELECTRON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS
MESSENGER-RNA
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
PHOSPHOTRANSFERASES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DISEASES
ENDOCRINE DISEASES
ENZYMES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
METABOLIC DISEASES
MICROANALYSIS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORUS-GROUP TRANSFERASES
RNA
TRANSFERASES
550602* - Medicine- External Radiation in Diagnostics- (1980-)