The streptozotocin-diabetic rat as a model of the chronic complications of human diabetes.
BACKGROUND
Diabetes in humans induces chronic complications such as cardiovascular damage, cataracts and retinopathy, nephropathy and polyneuropathy. The most common animal model of human diabetes is streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in the rat.


METHODS
This project assessed cardiovascular, ocular and neuropathic changes over a period of 24 weeks post STZ administration in rats.


RESULTS
STZ-diabetic rats (n = 96) showed stable signs of diabetes (hyperglycaemia, increased water and food intake with no increase in bodyweight): 52% of untreated STZ-diabetic rats (n = 50) survived 24 weeks after STZ administration. STZ-diabetic rats were normotensive with slowly developing systolic and diastolic dysfunction and an increased ventricular stiffness. Ventricular action potential durations were markedly prolonged. STZ-diabetic rats developed stable tactile allodynia. Cataracts developed to presumed blindness at 16 weeks but proliferative retinopathy was not observed even after 24 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
The chronic STZ-diabetic rat mimics many but not all of the chronic complications observed in the diabetic human. The chronic STZ-diabetic rat may be a useful model to test therapeutic approaches for amelioration of chronic diabetic complications in humans.
Wei
Michael
M
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Ong
Leslie
L
Smith
Maree T
MT
Ross
Fraser B
FB
Schmid
Katrina
K
Hoey
Andrew J
AJ
Burstow
Darryl
D
Brown
Lindsay
L