title: Autophagy in the posterior interosseous nerve of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: an ultrastructural study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We addressed the question of whether the autophagy pathway occurs in human peripheral nerves and whether this pathway is associated with peripheral neuropathy in diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  By using electron microscopy, we evaluated the presence of autophagy-related structures and neuropathy in the posterior interosseous nerve of patients who had undergone carpal tunnel release and had type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus, and in patients with no diabetes (controls).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Autophagy-related ultrastructures were observed in the samples taken from all patients of the three groups. The number of autophagy-associated structures was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the nerves of patients with type 1 than type 2 diabetes. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations of fascicle area, diameter of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibres, the density of myelinated and unmyelinated fibres and the g-ratio of myelinated fibres were performed. We found degeneration and regeneration of a few myelinated axons in controls, and a well-developed neuropathy with the loss of large myelinated axons and the presence of many small ones in patients with diabetes. The pathology in type 1 diabetes was more extensive than in type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study show that the human peripheral nerves have access to the autophagy machinery, and this pathway may be regulated differently in type 1 and type 2 diabetes; insulin, presence of extensive neuropathy, and/or other factors such as duration of diabetes and HbA1c level may underlie this differential regulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Cell Biology, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ayman A M
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: Lars B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Dahlin
authors.forename: Niels O B
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: Simin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohseni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*