title: The streptozotocin-diabetic rat as a model of the chronic complications of human diabetes.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: Maree T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Fraser B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hoey
authors.forename: Darryl
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burstow
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brown