Abstract
We compared the sural nerve morphology among Wistar (WR), Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats, including the nerve fascicles and myelinated fibers morphometry. Age matched (20 weeks) female WR (N=6), WKY (N=6) and SHR (N=7) had their right and left sural nerves removed, embedded in epoxy resin, and observed by light microscopy. Morphometric analysis was performed with the aid of computer software. Despite presenting the same age, WR were heavier than WKY and SHR, as were SHR compared to WKY. Systolic arterial pressure was higher in SHR compared to WR, but no differences between SHR and WKY or WR and WKY were observed. The sural nerves were morphometrically symmetric between proximal and distal segments on the same side and between sides in all strains with no differences in the myelinated fiber number. Schwann cell number and density were smaller in SHR and G ratio was larger in SHR, indicating that SHR have thinner myelinated fibers. Sural nerve morphology is similar between WKY and WR, allowing the use of WR as the SHR controls in morphological investigations involving peripheral neuropathies.
Highlights
Hypertensive rats (SHR) were first inbred from their normotensive ancestors, the Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and it is expected that WKY would be used as the normotensive controls of Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in diverse experimental protocols
WR were significantly heavier than WKY and SHR as SHR were heavier compared to WKY
All sural nerves included in this study showed good preservation of structures and general morphological characteristics of the sural nerve fascicles of WR, WKY and SHR were similar to those previously described[6,8]
Summary
Hypertensive rats (SHR) were first inbred from their normotensive ancestors, the Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and it is expected that WKY would be used as the normotensive controls of SHR in diverse experimental protocols. Reports on a possible hypertensive neuropathy are scanty in the literature[4,5] and the authors have systematically used the WKY as the controls. The possibility of using other normotensive rat strain as the SHR control in of crescent interest, when WKY are not readily or available. Information on the sural nerve normal morphology and morphometry is widely available in the literature for WR6, but not for SHR or WKY. We hypothesized that sural nerve morphology is similar between normotensive rat strains. To investigate this hypothesis, the present study was designed to compare the sural nerve morphology among WR, WKY and SHR, and took into consideration the fascicle area and diameter, as well as myelinated fiber number, density, area and diameter
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