Diabetes 53:3239-3247, 2004 © 2004 by the American Diabetes Association, Inc. Effects of Polyol Pathway Hyperactivity on Protein Kinase C Activity, Nociceptive Peptide Expression, and Neuronal Structure in Dorsal Root Ganglia in Diabetic MiceFrom the Department of Pathology, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
We explored the specific impact of polyol pathway hyperactivity on dorsal root ganglia (DRG) using transgenic mice that overexpress human aldose reductase because DRG changes are crucial for the development of diabetic sensory neuropathy. Littermate mice served as controls. Half of the animals were made diabetic by streptozotocin injection and followed for 12 weeks. After diabetes onset, diabetic transgenic mice showed a significant elevation of pain sensation threshold after transient decrease and marked slowing of motor and sensory nerve conduction at the end of the study, while these changes were modest in diabetic littermate mice. Protein kinase C (PKC) activities were markedly reduced in diabetic transgenic mice, and the changes were associated with reduced expression of membrane PKC-
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Soroku Yagihashi, Department of Pathology, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Japan. E-mail: yagihasi{at}cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp
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