Abstract
The dorsal root ganglia (DRG) have been identified as the target tissue in diabetic somatosensory neuropathy. It has been reported that, in the chronically diabetic state, DRG sensory neurons may undergo morphological changes. In this study, we examined the effect of zenarestat, an aldose reductase inhibitor, on the morphological derangement of the DRG and the sural nerve of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ rats) over a 13-month period. The cell area of the DRG in STZ rats was smaller than that in normal rats. A decrease in fiber size was apparent in the sural nerve of the STZ rats, and the fiber density was greater. These morphological changes were reversed in zenarestat-treated STZ rats. The data suggest that, in peripheral sensory diabetic neuropathy, hyperactivation of the polyol pathway induces abnormalities not only in peripheral nerve fiber, but also in the DRG, which is an aggregate of primary sensory afferent cell bodies.
MeSH terms
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Aldehyde Reductase / antagonists & inhibitors*
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Aldehyde Reductase / metabolism
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Animals
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Axons / drug effects
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Axons / enzymology
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Axons / pathology
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Cell Death / drug effects
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Cell Death / physiology
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Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / complications
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Diabetic Neuropathies / drug therapy*
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Diabetic Neuropathies / enzymology*
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Diabetic Neuropathies / physiopathology
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Disease Models, Animal
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Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
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Enzyme Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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Ganglia, Spinal / drug effects*
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Ganglia, Spinal / enzymology*
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Ganglia, Spinal / pathology
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Male
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Nerve Degeneration / drug therapy
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Nerve Degeneration / enzymology
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Nerve Degeneration / etiology
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Polymers / metabolism
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Quinazolines / pharmacology*
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Quinazolines / therapeutic use
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Rats
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Sensory Receptor Cells / drug effects
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Sensory Receptor Cells / enzymology
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Sensory Receptor Cells / pathology
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Sural Nerve / drug effects
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Sural Nerve / enzymology
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Sural Nerve / pathology
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Treatment Outcome
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Wallerian Degeneration / drug therapy
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Wallerian Degeneration / enzymology
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Wallerian Degeneration / etiology
Substances
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Enzyme Inhibitors
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Polymers
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Quinazolines
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polyol
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FR 74366
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Aldehyde Reductase