Korean J Anat.  2000 Dec;33(6):723-731.

The Morphological Studies on the Effects of Nerve Growth Factor on the Schwann Cell in the Diabetic Neuropathy in the Rats

• Ahn SK
• Lee JE
• Lee WT
• Park SH
• Park KA

Abstract

Diabetic neuropathy is a broad term that encompasses many destructive syndromes that various kinds of neuronal population is affected in diabetes mellitus. Diabetic neuropathy has been postulated to occur by diverse pathogenetic mechanisms. Recent studies suggest that the reduction of neurotrophic factors is one of the causes of diabetic neuropathy. This study was performed to identify the effect of nerve growth factor on Schwann cell in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats morphologically. Sprague-Dawley rats (weighed about 200 gm) were rendered diabetes by injection of streptozotocin (STZ 65 mg/kg) and nerve growth factor was administered for 4 weeks. The result obtained are as followed: 1. Degenerations in cytoplasmic organelles of Schwann cell of the myelinated nerve fibers in diabetic rats were identified. 2. Degenerations in cytoplasmic organelles of the Schwann cell of the unmyelinated nerve fibers in diabetic rats were identified and abnormal axons were appeared. 3. Nerve growth factor had an effect on the recovery of degeneration and it was more effective in myelinated nerve fibers. These results suggest that early administration of nerve growth factor have the effect of protection of diabetic neuropathy by morphological study.

Keyword

diabetic neuropathy; nerve growth factor; Schwann cell

MeSH Terms

Animals
Axons
Cytoplasm
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetic Neuropathies*
Nerve Fibers, Myelinated
Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated
Nerve Growth Factor*
Nerve Growth Factors
Neurons
Organelles
Rats*
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Streptozocin
Nerve Growth Factor
Nerve Growth Factors
Streptozocin