Type 3 Diabetes? Evaluation of the Noradrenergic System in Diabetic Rats by Underexpression of Tyrosine Hydroxylase in the Central Nervous System

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic inflammatory state that leads to potentially degenerative changes in brain metabolism. Sustained pictures of hypoinsulinemia trigger phosphorylation of the tau protein and production of amyloid plaques, forming senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissue. Diabetic patients have a higher incidence of cognitive impairment and a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (AD), the most common type of dementia characterized by chronic neurodegeneration involving early synaptotoxicity, suggesting critical links between DM and AD, currently characterized as Type 3 Diabetes. This work aimed to induce DM in Wistar rats and measure demographic neurological changes, through serological, histological, immunohistochemical, anthropometric and exploratory behavior analysis. Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were used, divided into the Control Group (CG) and the Diabetic Group (DG), all included healthy. After complete anesthesia, the DG animals had streptozotocin-induced diabetes, whereas the CG received only NaCl. The animals were kept in an experiment for 69 days. Glycemic collections, body weight measurements and behavioral assessment were performed using the Open Field Test. On the day of euthanasia, the brain, pancreas and liver were retired for further analysis. ORIGInaL aRtICLe