A comparison of the effects of conventional insulin treatment and continuous insulin infusion therapy on established morphological and biochemical abnormalities of peripheral nerve in experimental diabetes.
This study compared the relative efficacy of conventional insulin therapy (CIT) and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy (CSII) in correcting a range of morphological and biochemical abnormalities of peripheral nerve in rodents with experimental diabetes mellitus. Both treatments were applied for two months and were commenced two months after the induction of diabetes in 11 week old rats. Better diurnal glycaemic control was achieved with CSII therapy than with CIT. An established deficit in body weight in the diabetic animals was partially, but not fully corrected by both treatments. Retardation of long bone growth in the diabetic animals was corrected by CSII therapy but not CIT. Elevated levels of sciatic nerve glucose, sorbitol and fructose found in diabetic animals were normalized by both treatments. However, depleted levels of nerve myo-inositol which were also found in diabetic animals were restored to normal only by CSII therapy. Abnormal myelinated nerve fibre morphology, indexed by fibre and axon cross-sectional area measurements, was again corrected more effectively by CSII therapy. This study has demonstrated that often partial and sometimes complete amelioration of established biochemical and morphological abnormalities of peripheral nerve in diabetic animals can be achieved by the application of either CSII therapy or CIT. However, under the controlled conditions of this experimental study better overall performance was gained from CSII therapy.
Britland
S
S
Department of Anatomy, University of Aberdeen, UK.
Sharma
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007332:Insulin Infusion Systems; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin