A parallel comparison of age-related peripheral nerve changes in three different strains of mice

Strain-specific differences contributing to spontaneous age-related periphe ral nerve changes were examined in three different strains of 100-week-old female mice housed under the same conditions over the same period: inbred C 57BL and C3H strains, and the hybrid B6C3F1 strain. A lower incidence of ob esity and significantly lower body weight, grasping power of fore- and hind -limbs, blood lipid level, tail-flick latency and motor nerve conduction ve locity were observed in C57BL mice; significantly lower body temperature, b lood glucose and HbA(1c) levels were observed in C3H mice. Histological exa mination conducted on isolated sciatic nerves and brachial plexuses reveale d peripheral nerve lesions, characterized by axonal degeneration and remyel ination, in all strains. Although the extent of histopathologic change in n erve fibers was similar in quality to those observed in all three mouse str ains, the incidence and severity of nerve lesions in B6C3F1 and C3H mice we re significantly greater than those observed in C57BL mice.