title: Influence of experimental diabetes on the microcirculation of injured peripheral nerve: functional and morphological aspects.
abstract: Regeneration of diabetic axons has delays in onset, rate, and maturation. It is possible that microangiopathy of vasa nervorum, the vascular supply of the peripheral nerve, may render an unfavorable local environment for nerve regeneration. We examined local nerve blood flow proximal and distal to sciatic nerve transection in rats with long-term (8 month) experimental streptozotocin diabetes using laser Doppler flowmetry and microelectrode hydrogen clearance polarography. We then correlated these findings, using in vivo perfusion of an India ink preparation, by outlining the lumens of microvessels from unfixed nerve sections. There were no differences in baseline nerve blood flow between diabetic and nondiabetic uninjured nerves, and vessel number, density, and area were unaltered. After transection, there were greater rises in blood flow in proximal stumps of nondiabetic nerves than in diabetic animals associated with a higher number, density, and caliber of epineurial vessels. Hyperemia also developed in distal stumps of nondiabetic nerves but did not develop in diabetic nerves. In these stumps, diabetic rats had reduced vessel numbers and smaller mean endoneurial vessel areas. Failed or delayed upregulation of nerve blood flow after peripheral nerve injury in diabetes may create a relatively ischemic regenerative microenvironment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Douglas W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Zochodne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009431:Neural Conduction; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose