Diabetes and peripheral sensory neurons: what we don't know and how it can hurt us.
The first purpose of this article is to examine general signaling transduction processes that become deranged in diabetes and the means by which they damage cells. However, among the cells that can be damaged by diabetes, the primary sensory neurons, also known as dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, are uniquely sensitive. Damage to these cells results in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), one of the costliest and most common diabetic complications. Therefore, the second purpose of this article is to focus attention on factors that make these cells particularly vulnerable to hyperglycemic damage. Some clinical inferences are drawn from these considerations. Finally, limitations in our knowledge about the effects of diabetes on signaling in DRG neurons are illustrated in an overview of the basic research literature.
McHugh
Jeannette M
JM
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA.
McHugh
William B
WB
D000449:Aldehyde Reductase / Q000502:physiology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D002462:Cell Membrane; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000150:complications*; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
D000449:Aldehyde Reductase; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases