URINARY-BLADDER DYSFUNCTION IN THE BB W DIABETIC RAT - EFFECT OF GANGLIOSIDE TREATMENT ON FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS/

Urinary bladder dysfunction in the diabetic BB/W rat is characterized by infrequent irregular contractions of high amplitude. Initially thes e occur in the absence of detectable neuroanatomical lesions of sensor y afferent and parasympathetic fibers of the pelvic nerve, which const itute the micturition reflex are. Structural lesions consisting of pro gressive axonal atrophy of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers become d etectable only after 4 months of diabetes. In the current study we eva luated the effect of ganglioside treatment (10 mg./kg. body weight) fo r one month. This drug regimen was initiated at 4 months of diabetes, when functional bladder abnormalities were well established, whereas s tructural lesions were yet to appear. Animals examined 1 or 3 months a fter termination of the one-month treatment protocol showed sustained normalization of the characteristic functional abnormalities, accompan ied by prevention of the neuroanatomical lesions of sensory afferent a nd parasympathetic efferent myelinated fibers in the pelvic nerve. The se data suggest that ganglioside treatment may be beneficial in delayi ng the progression of diabetic autonomic neuropathy in this experiment al animal model.