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Reduced Nerve Blood Flow In Diabetic Rats Is A Reflection Of Hindlimb Muscle Wasting
Author(s) -
Tomlinson Dr,
Riaz S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of the peripheral nervous system
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1529-8027
pISSN - 1085-9489
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8027.2000abstracts-44.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , sciatic nerve , streptozotocin , clenbuterol , diabetes mellitus , hindlimb , diabetic neuropathy , extensor digitorum longus muscle , blood flow , skeletal muscle , nerve conduction velocity
We examined the influence of muscle wasting, as a result of streptozotocin‐induced diabetes, on sciatic nerve laser Doppler flux (SNLDF), as an index of nerve blood flow, and conduction velocity (NCV). We compared dietary‐restricted weight‐reduced non‐diabetic rats with controls and with diabetic rats and we studied the effects of clenbuterol, an anabolic β‐adrenoceptor agonist, in control and diabetic rats. Dietary restriction reduced the weights of hindlimb muscles—extensor digitorum longus, soleus and gastrocnemius—half as much as did streptozotocin‐diabetes and clenbuterol increased muscle weights in control and diabetic rats. This gave a hierarchy of muscle weights in the order—clenbuterol‐controls, untreated controls, weight‐reduced non‐diabetics, clenbuterol‐diabetics and untreated diabetics. Diabetes without treatment reduced SNLDF by 51% (p < 0.01); dietary restriction by 25% (p < 0.01) and there were proportional increases associated with clenbuterol treatment. Combined muscle weights regressed closely with SNLDF (r 2 =0.69; p < 0.001) and, when the latter was expressed relative to muscle weights, a similar value was obtained for all five groups—there were no significant differences. Thus, sciatic nerve blood flow is closely related to hindlimb muscle weight and the effect of diabetes on nerve blood flow may be secondary to muscle wasting. Sciatic/tibialis motor and sensory conduction velocities were also reduced by muscle wasting in the dietary restricted group of non‐diabetic rats, but, unlike nerve Doppler flux, it was unaffected by clenbuterol.