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Immunohistochemical and Morphometric Study of the Major Pelvic Ganglia in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats
Takeshi Watanabe, Shinsuke Kato* and Eisaku Ohama*
Department of Urology and *Division of Neuropathology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683, Japan
Bladder dysfunction is a common complication arising in cases of diabetes mellitus and is attributed in part to peripheral autonomic neuropathy. To provide more information on this subject, we carried out immunohistochemical and morphometric analyses of the major pelvic ganglia (MPG) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in 8-week-old male rats by the administration of STZ. The MPG and bladder were taken from the diabetic and age-matched control rats 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after the administration. They were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for routine histological observation and by the avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase method for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and were evaluated by means of an image analysis system. There were no detectable differences between the diabetic and control rats in the histology of the MPG and bladder. However, the size of neurons in the MPG was significantly decreased in the diabetic rats. In addition, the ratio of TH-negative neurons to all neurons in the MPG was significantly decreased in diabetic rats. These findings suggest that the autonomic nervous system may be altered, and that the disturbance of the non-adrenergic (predominantly cholinergic) nerves of the bladder may play a major role in the pathogenesis of bladder dysfunction in STZ-induced diabetic rats.
Key words: bladder dysfunction; diabetes mellitus; major pelvic ganglia;morphometry; tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry