Substance P and somatostatin content and transport in vagus and sciatic nerves of the streptozocin-induced diabetic rat

• Published in: Diabetes (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 390 - 395
• Main Author: MACLEAN, D. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Diabetes Association 01.03.1987
• Subjects: Animals; Axonal Transport; Biological and medical sciences; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - physiopathology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetic Neuropathies - physiopathology; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Medical sciences; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Sciatic Nerve - analysis; Sciatic Nerve - metabolism; Somatostatin - analysis; Somatostatin - metabolism; Substance P - analysis; Substance P - metabolism; Vagus Nerve - analysis; Vagus Nerve - metabolism; Nerve; Animal model; Substance P; Diabetes mellitus; Biological transport; Peptide hormone; Vagus nerve; Somatostatin; Streptozotocin; Sciatic nerve
• ISSN: 0012-1797; 1939-327X
• DOI: 10.2337/diab.36.3.390

Substance P (SP) and somatostatin (SS) are two widely distributed neuropeptides that within the vagus and sciatic nerves are localized predominantly in sensory fibers. The effect of diabetes mellitus on their content or transport in sensory nerves is unknown. With the nerve ligation technique, the peripheral orthograde 24-h transport of both peptides was quantified in the vagus nerve 3 days or 1 mo after induction of streptozocin (STZ) diabetes and in both the vagus and sciatic nerves after diabetes of 3 mo duration. In acute (3-day) diabetics, neuropeptide transport in the vagus was unaltered. After 1 mo, SP transport was significantly increased; content in unligated contralateral nerve was unaltered. Transport of SS was unchanged, and content in contralateral nerve was too low to reliably quantitate. After diabetes of 3-mo duration, transport of both peptides in the vagus nerve was increased in STZ-induced diabetic (STZ-D) rats versus both weight- and age-matched controls: SP 474 +/- 17 (N = 10) vs. 358 +/- 32 (N = 13) pg/24 h, STZ-D rats vs. controls, mean +/- SE, P less than .03; SS 29 +/- 4 vs. 20 +/- 3 pg/24 h, STZ-D rats vs. controls, P less than .02. In the sciatic nerve, SP transport and content were unaltered. SS content was significantly reduced: 17 +/- 3 vs. 30 +/- 3 pg/3-mm nerve segment, STZ-D rats vs. controls, P less than .01. SS transport in the sciatic nerve of diabetic rats was variably reduced (P less than .07), and transport rates were increased (1.41 +/- 0.13 vs. 0.96 +/- 0.10 mm/h.