BTBR ob/ob mice as a novel diabetic neuropathy model: Neurological characterization and gene expression analyses.

ABSTRACT: Given the lack of treatments for diabetic neuropathy (DN), a common diabetic complication, accurate disease models are necessary. Characterization of the leptin-deficient BTBR ob/ob mouse, a type 2 diabetes model, demonstrated that the mice develop robust diabetes coincident with severe neuropathic features, including nerve conduction deficits and intraepidermal nerve fiber loss by 9 and 13 weeks of age, respectively, supporting its use as a DN model. To gain insight into DN mechanisms, we performed microarray analysis on sciatic nerve from BTBR ob/ob mice, identifying 1503 and 642 differentially expressed genes associated with diabetes at 5 and 13 weeks, respectively. Further analyses identified overrepresentation of inflammation and immune-related functions in BTBR ob/ob mice, which inte

SUBMITTER: O'Brien PD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4416075 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature