[Approach to creating early diabetic peripheral neuropathy rat model].

Objective: To create the early diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) rat model.
Methods: After one-week adaption, 26 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into two groups, the control group (n=6) and the model group (n=20). High-sucrose/high-fat diet (D12451, 35% of energy from carbohydrate, 45% of energy from fat) was given to the model group for six weeks to induce insulin resistance, meanwhile normal diet was given to the control group. Afterwards, streptozocin (STZ) buffer solution (35 mg/kg bodyweight) was injected into abdomen of the model group to induce specific pancreatic injury, meanwhile an equal amount of buffer solution was given to the control group. Then 48 h later, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was supposed to be successfully induced according to the random blood glucose more than 16.7 mmol/L in the model group. Then the basic features of the T2DM rats were evaluated, including body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glucose tolerance (oral glucose tolerance test, OGTT), and insulin tolerance (intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test, IPITT). Subsequently, withdrawal thermal latency (WTL) was measured regularly to determine when the early DPN occurred. Once confirmed, sciatic nerve conduction velocity (NCV) of all the rats was conducted.
Results: The T2DM rats were successfully induced in the model group through high-sucrose/high-fat diet for six weeks along with STZ intraperitoneal injection (35 mg/kg bodyweight). When compared to the control group, the T2DM rats had higher FBG (P<0.001), and the glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance were both damaged (P<0.001 in OGTT, P=0.002 in IPITT). It was on the 17th day when the T2DM rats became much more sensitive to heat stimulus compared to the control group (P=0.004). Meanwhile, the sciatic NCV was conducted. There was no significant difference between the early DPN group and the control group (P=0.196).
Conclusion: High-sucrose/high-fat diet for six weeks along with STZ intraperitoneal injection (35 mg/kg bodyweight) could successfully induce T2DM rat model, manifested by a certain extent of insulin resistance and deficiency of insulin secretion. It was about 17 days later when the early DPN emerged. In the early DPN, small fiber neuropathy came out earlier than large fiber neuropathy.