Impaired axonal transport of opiate and muscarinic receptors in streptozocin-diabetic rats.

Axonal transport of receptors was studied in streptozocin-diabetic rats using two different binding models. Streptozocin-induced hyperglycemia caused a reduced accumulation of muscarinic receptors above a ligature placed on rat sciatic nerves when the binding assay was performed in vitro with [3H]QNB. In the vagus nerve, the retrograde axonal transport of receptor-bound opiate was strongly decreased in the streptozocin-treated rats when [3H]lofentanil was used in vivo to label opiate receptors. Insulin partly reversed the changes observed in the streptozocin-treated rats. These findings suggest that impaired axonal transport of receptors may explain part of the neurological disturbance which is seen in diabetic patients.