title: Anti-oxidant and pro-oxidant effects on nerve conduction velocity, endoneurial blood flow and oxygen tension in non-diabetic and streptozotocin-diabetic rats.
abstract: Increased oxygen free radical activity, coupled with reduced protection against oxidative stress, could play a role in the aetiology of neurovascular abnormalities in experimental diabetes mellitus. To test this hypothesis, non-diabetic and streptozotocin-diabetic rats were treated with the anti-oxidant probucol or the pro-oxidant primaquine. One-month diabetes caused 21.4% and 13.6% reduction in sciatic motor and saphenous sensory conduction velocity (p < 0.001). These deficits were prevented by probucol treatment (p < 0.001). After 1-month untreated diabetes, conduction velocity deficits were reversed by a further month of probucol treatment (p < 0.001). For non-diabetic rats, primaquine treatment caused a 12.9% reduction in motor conduction velocity (p < 0.001), which was prevented by probucol treatment (p < 0.001). Primaquine treatment did not affect diabetic rats. Sciatic nerve nutritive endoneurial blood flow, measured using microelectrode polarography and hydrogen clearance, was 48.0% reduced by 2-month diabetes (p < 0.001). This was completely prevented by probucol treatment (p < 0.001). Primaquine treatment did not affect blood flow in diabetic rats. However, in non-diabetic rats it caused a 30.0% reduction (p < 0.01) which was prevented by probucol treatment (p < 0.05). Sciatic endoneurial oxygen tensions were also measured by microelectrode polarography. Mean tension was 38.8% reduced by diabetes (p < 0.001). This was prevented by probucol treatment. Non-diabetic rats given primaquine treatment showed a 21.7% reduction in endoneurial oxygen tension (p < 0.01). The data suggest that vascular-mediated nerve dysfunction in diabetes depends on oxidative stress, and that similar effects in non-diabetic rats may be produced by pro-oxidant treatment. This provides evidence for the potentially important role of oxygen free radical activity in diabetic neuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Archibald
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Dines
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Maxfield
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011048:Polarography; D011319:Primaquine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011341:Probucol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013402:Sugar Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D007294:Inositol; D011319:Primaquine; D011341:Probucol; D010100:Oxygen