The effect of a newly developed oral agent, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analogue TFC 612, on diabetic neuropathy was studied by giving it for 6 wk to streptozocin-induced diabetic rats that had been diabetic for 3 mo and was compared with the effects of aldose reductase inhibitor ONO 2235. Although both compounds improved decreased motor nerve conduction velocity, the effect of TFC 612 continued during the 6 wk of treatment, whereas that of ONO 2235 became weaker from wk 4. The abnormality in sciatic nerve sorbitol and myo-inositol levels was reversed with ONO 2235, whereas it was unchanged with TFC 612. With the laser Doppler flowmetry technique, a decrease in the sciatic nerve blood flow in diabetic rats was shown to improve with both compounds, but TFC 612 had a greater effect than ONO 2235, and the increased lactate level of the diabetic nerve was corrected with both compounds, suggesting that both may be associated with the amelioration of ischemia in the diabetic endoneurium. Both TFC 612 and ONO 2235 partially but significantly normalized decreased fiber size in diabetic rats. On the other hand, TFC 612 completely normalized the dilated lumen area in diabetic rats, whereas ONO 2235 did not. These results suggest that the PGE1 analogue TFC 612 has a significant effect on diabetic neuropathy, possibly via vasotropic action, and may be a potent compound for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.

No abstract

No abstract

An oral prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analogue, OP-1206.alpha-CD, was given to rats with streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetes to examine the therapeutic effects of OP-1206 on short-term and long-term diabetic neuropathy and its action mechanism with special reference to nerve Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity. In the short-term experiment, OP-1206 was administered daily to diabetic rats in 3- and 30-mg/kg doses for 4 wk from the day of STZ injection. In the long-term study, 10 micrograms/kg OP-1206 was also given daily for 8 wk from 7 mo after induction of diabetes. The compound improved decreased sciatic motor nerve conduction velocity in both short-term and long-term diabetic rats. The nerve Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity of diabetic rats, reduced by 40% compared with controls, was reversed to the level of controls in both experiments, whereas weight loss and hyperglycemia were unchanged, and neither nerve sorbitol accumulation nor myo-inositol depletion was corrected. In a morphometric analysis of myelinated nerve fibers (MNFs) in long-term diabetes, the mean diameter of the largest 10% of MNFs was significantly reduced in untreated diabetic compared with control rats, but OP-1206 completely reversed this reduction. The results suggest that OP-1206 ameliorates a decrease in nerve Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity without any effect on nerve myo-inositol level and that the compound may be not only a potent therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy but also a useful research tool to investigate the mechanism of nerve Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity regulation.

The effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and lithium on myo-inositol metabolism has been assessed in rat cerebral cortex, cerebellar cortex, and sciatic nerves. Sprague-Dawley male rats were injected subcutaneously with 10 mEq/kg of LiCl and intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg of TRH-tartrate, alone or in combination. Either lithium or TRH alone had little effect on the myo-inositol concentration in cerebellar cortex, whereas the combination of lithium and TRH significantly lowered the level. The myo-inositol level of cerebellar cortex reached its nadir (70% of values in untreated control rats) 30 min after addition of TRH and then returned to the control level at 90 min. In cerebral cortex, both lithium alone and lithium plus TRH significantly reduced the myo-inositol level. No effect was seen on the myo-inositol concentration in sciatic nerves with these regimens. These results suggested that the pharmacological dose of TRH activated phosphatidylinositol turnover in rat cerebellar cortex and subsequently reduced the myo-inositol level in the presence of lithium.