A brief review ofin vitromodels of diabetic neuropathy

Abstract

The neuropathies of the peripheral, central and autonomic nervous systems are known to be caused by hyperglycemia, a consequence of the deregulation of glucose in diabetes. Several in vivo models such as streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, mice and Chinese hamsters have been used to study the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy because of their resemblance to human pathology. However, these in vivo models have met with strong ethical oppositions. Further, the system complexity has inherent limitations of inconvenience of analyzing ephemeral molecular events and crosstalk of signal transduction pathways. Alternative in vitro models have been selected and put to effective use in diabetic studies. We critically review the use of these in vitro models such as primary cultures of dorsal root ganglia, Schwann cells and neural tissue as well as neural cell lines which have proved to be excellent systems for detailed study. We also assess the use of embryo cultures for the study of hyperglycemic effects on development, especially of the nervous system. These systems function as useful models to scrutinize the molecular events underlying hyperglycemia-induced stress in neuronal systems and have been very effectively used for the same. This comprehensive overview of advantages and disadvantages of in vitro systems that are currently in use will be of interest especially for comparative assessment of results and for appropriate choice of models for experiments in diabetic neuropathy.

Primary Retinal Cultures as a Tool for Modeling Diabetic Retinopathy: An Overview

“…Data from experiments performed on cell cultures have remarkably contributed to highlight the direct toxic effects of exposure to HG conditions on the neuronal population (see for a review [ 8 , 10 ]). Neurotoxicity has been investigated in several types of CNS primary neuronal cell cultures, such as dorsal root ganglion cells (DRGC) [ 24 ], cortical [ 25 ] and hippocampal neurons [ 26 ], and retinal ganglion cells [ 21 , 27 ].…”

“…In vitro studies have substantially contributed to the characterization of the pathophysiology of retinal damage during diabetes (see for a review [ 10 ]). Cell culture models provide simplified systems where the effects of different potentially toxic factors present in the diabetic milieu , such as hyperglycemia, glutamate, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), can be investigated in an isolated context.…”

Dysfunction of Neurotransmitter Modulation System on Adrenergic Nerves of Caudal Artery in Type 2 Diabetic Goto–Kakizaki Rats

“…5) However, most animal models of diabetic neuropathy are Type 1 diabetic models, namely, streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and mice. 6) Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats were established as a model of inbred type 2 diabetes mellitus by selective breeding from originally non-diabetic Wistar rats using glucose intolerance. 7) GK rats have been shown to develop Type 2 diabetes without obesity spontaneously and to exhibit higher post-prandial plasma glucose levels and lower post-prandial immunoreactive insulin levels than Wistar rats.…”

Remedial Effects of Vitamin E and L-Arginine on Peripheral Neuropathy in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

“…Peripheral neuropathy is one of the major complains in both types I and II diabetic patients and it is associated with several problems such as cardiovascular defects, retinopathy and muscular pain or weakness (Yamagishi et al, 2008;Sima, 2003;Rajbhandari and Piya, 2005). Since these defects affect the quality and quantity of life, treatment of diabetic neuropathy or prevention of its accompanying symptoms has been considered as a major goal in the recent decades.…”