Criteria for creating and assessing mouse models of diabetic neuropathy.
Authors Sullivan KA, Lentz SI, Roberts JL, Feldman EL
Submitted By Eva Feldman on 2/23/2009
Status Published
Journal Current drug targets
Year 2008
Date Published 1/1/2008
Volume : Pages 9(1) : 3
PubMed Reference 18220709
Abstract Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is a serious and debilitating complication of both type
1 and type 2 diabetes. Despite intense research efforts into multiple aspects of
this complication, including both vascular and neuronal metabolic derangements,
the only treatment remains maintenance of euglycemia. Basic research into the
mechanisms responsible for DN relies on using the most appropriate animal model.
The advent of genetic manipulation has moved mouse models of human disease to
the forefront. The ability to insert or delete genes affected in human patients
offers unique insight into disease processes; however, mice are still not humans
and difficulties remain in interpreting data derived from these animals. A
number of studies have investigated and described DN in mice but it is difficult
to compare these studies with each other or with human DN due to experimental
differences including background strain, type of diabetes, method of induction
and duration of diabetes, animal age and gender. This review describes currently
used DN animal models. We followed a standardized diabetes induction protocol
and designed and implemented a set of phenotyping parameters to classify the
development and severity of DN. By applying standard protocols, we hope to
facilitate the comparison and characterization of DN across different background
strains in the hope of discovering the most human like model in which to test
potential therapies.


Investigators with authorship
NameInstitution
Eva FeldmanUniversity of Michigan

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