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Relationship between fascicle size and perineurial collagen IV content in diabetic and control human peripheral nerve
P E Williams1, A Lowry, R Hill
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, UK. p.e.williams@biosci.hull.ac.uk
Aim:
The relationship between perineurial collagen IV content and fascicle size was determined in diabetic and control human peripheral nerve.
Methods And Results:
Age-matched diabetic and control sural nerve samples were immunostained using antibodies to collagen IV. The number of cell layers and the perimeter of the fascicle were measured and the collagen IV content of the perineurium determined. Using this method, a comparison could be made of collagen IV content in the perineuria of fascicles of different size. A positive linear relationship was found between fascicle size and the amount of collagen IV per unit of perineurium. The number of perineurial cell layers and the collagen IV content of the diabetic nerve did not differ from control values.
Conclusions:
The linear relationship between fascicle size and perineurial collagen IV content per unit of perineurium underlines the importance of taking fascicle size into account when determining changes in basement membrane components associated with neuropathy. The results indicate that increased deposition of collagen IV is not involved in the early changes in the perineurial cell basement membrane and is thus not the primary factor involved in altered nerve function associated with diabetic neuropathy.