Chronic Hyperglycemia in Experimental Diabetes mellitus of Short Duration Does Not Contribute to Muscle Capillary Basement Membrane Thickening

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Abstract
The effect of chronic hyperglycemia on the relationship of nonenzymatic glycation and capillary basement membrane thickness in muscle was studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats early in the course of diabetes mellitus. Diabetic animals were placed on either standard (24%) or restricted (8%) protein diet. The animals on 8% protein diet had elevated glycated hemoglobin levels (p < 0.01) and increased levels of nonenzymatic glycation of basement membrane (p < o.01) as compared to insulin-treated diabetic (euglycemic), age-matched control, and streptozotocin-injected nondia-betic animals also on 8% protein diet. In contrast, diabetic animals on restricted (8%) protein diet and those on standard (24%) protein diet showed no statistical differences between them with regards to the above parameters. Moreover, there were no statistical differences among diabetic and control animals on either 8 or 24% protein diet with respect to muscle capillary membrane thickness. Even though the peripheral muscle biopsy study of capillary basement membrane is less invasive than kidney biopsy, the results of this study suggest that neither nonenzymatic glycation nor basement membrane thickness can be utilized as predictors of renal dysfunction during early onset of diabetes mellitus.