Capillary basement membrane thickening appears to be one of the primary manifestations of microangiopathy which affects numerous capillary beds in diabetic man. Although many diabetic animal models exhibit microangiopathy in the eyes and kidneys, few studies have demonstrated the existence of muscle capillary basement membrane thickening similar to that which occurs in human diabetics.(1) Furthermore, a limited number of investigations have been systematically designed to correlate quantification of basement membrane thickness with metabolic perturbations, age, duration, and severity of diabetes. Systematic characterization of diabetic microangiopathy may help to elucidate some of the factors underlying basement membrane thickening and serve as guidelines for therapeutic studies which are designed to prevent or inhibit basement membrane thickening. Clinically, muscle biopsies are easily obtained, and this type of characterization may also prove useful in the diagnosis of diabetic microangiopathy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if basement membrane thickening is present in the quadriceps muscle capillaries of 19-23 month old diabetic Chinese hamsters in comparison with age-matched controls.
Lack of Nitric Oxide Results in Increased Glomerular Capillary Basement Membrane Thickness
