Preventive effects of glycaemic control on ocular complications of Spontaneously Diabetic Torii rat

Abstract

These findings indicate that ocular complications of SDT rats are caused by hyperglycaemia. The features of SDT rats indicate their usefulness for the future study of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetes-Associated Complications in Spontaneously Diabetic Torii Fatty Rats

“…Since the peak latency of SDT fatty rats on ERG was retarded at 16 and 24 week of age, functional abnormality of the retina may have occurred. The peak latency of the SDT normal rat showed a prolongation at 44 weeks of age [16]. There was no difference in the peak latency at 32 weeks of age between the SDT normal rat group and the SDT fatty rat group because of the prolongation of the peak latency in the SDT normal rat group.…”

“…Body weight, food intake, biochemical parameters, and renal parameters were evaluated at 4,6,8,16,24, and 32 weeks of age. Blood samples were collected from the tail vein of rats.…”

“…ERGs were obtained at 6,8,16,24, and 32 weeks of age using the method of Segawa et al [18], with minor modification. Rats adapted to darkness for at least 60 min, then anaesthetized with an intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg ketamine (Sankyo, Tokyo, Japan).…”

“…The SDT normal rat develops diabetes from about 20 weeks of age [8,20]. It is worthy of note that the SDT normal rat shows ocular complications such as venous dilation and meandering vascular networks, which are caused by hyperglycemia [16]. The Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) fatty rat was established by introducing the fa allele of the Zucker fatty rat into the SDT normal rat genome [9].…”

Pancreatic Function of Spontaneously Diabetic Torii Rats in Pre-Diabetic Stage

“…SDT rats also develop ocular complications (cataract and retinopathy) and nephropathy from about 40 weeks of age [24]. Sasase et al have reported that the lesions in SDT rats are induced by hyperglycemia because an improvement is observed following continuous subcutaneous insulin administration [14,20]. Therefore, the SDT rat is expected to be useful as a new animal model of diabetes-associated complications such as retinopathy and nephropathy.…”