Peripheral nerve regeneration in experimental diabetes.

Observations have been made on the regeneration of myelinated fibres in the sural nerve of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and age-matched non-diabetic control animals at 3, 6 and 18 weeks after a localized crush lesion. Morphometric studies on the regenerated fibres revealed no differences in the total fibre count, size-frequency distribution or average diameter at 18 weeks after injury. The degree of myelination was assessed by relating the number of myelin lamellae to axon circumference. The relationship was found to be approximately linear. There was a possible slight lag in myelination at 3 weeks after injury in the diabetic animal, but no difference was detectable at 6 and 18 weeks after injury.