[The peripheral nerves of non-diabetic rats after streptozotocin administration using automatic microscopic image...

Electrophysiologic studies of posterior tibial nerves by averaging method and morphometric investigations of sural nerves by automatic image analysis were performed in 7 non-diabetic rats 42 d after the administration of 55 mg streptozotocin/kg b.w. and in 10 untreated controls. Morphometry of stained semithin sections was carried out with system A 6471-AMBA/R (Robotron, Dresden, G.D.R.). There was no decrease of motor nerve conduction velocity in streptozotocin injected animals. The investigated morphometric parameters showed no significant alterations in the streptozotocin group. The studies show that in streptozotocin diabetic rats electrophysiological and morphological alterations of the peripheral nerve are caused by hyperglycemia but not by direct neurotoxic effects of streptozotocin.