Thickening of basement membrane of muscle capillary in spontaneously diabetic KK mice.

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Abstract
To clarify the relationship between the thickening of muscle capillary basement membrane (MCBM) and diabetes mellitus, an experimental study was carried out using spontaneously diabetic KK mice. Glucose tolerance tests and the measurements of the width of MCBM were performed in KK mice and DD mice at the age of 1 wk through 16 mo. The KK mice revealed a smaller increase in body weight than the control mice. Impaired glucose tolerance in the KK mice was observed at the age of 2 wk and remained for 12 mo. The width of MCBM increased in both KK and DD mice with the aging process until 6 mo. Thereafter the KK mice revealed a significant increase of the width of MCBM. In both KK mice and DD mice, significant correlations were observed between age and the width of MCBM. There was no significant correlation between glucose intolerance figured out as the sum of blood glucose levels and the width of MCBM. The thickening of MCBM in the KK mice may occur as an aging phenomenon or may develop as the consequence of long-term carbohydrate derangement based on genetic disposition.