Effect of diabetes on the cholinergic enzyme activities of the urinary bladder and the seminal vesicles of the rat.

Abstract

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetyl-cholinesterase (AChE) activities were determined in the seminal vesicles and in two regions of the urinary bladder, the detrusor muscle and sphincter-trigon in control and streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic male Sprague-Dawley rats. In this study, STZ was administered (65 mg/kg, i.p.) to induce diabetes 14 days prior to sacrifice and enzyme analysis. Diabetic rats exhibited significant increase in both ChAT and AChE activities in the detrusor compared to the control animals. Significant increases in ChAT activity, however, were observed only in the seminal vesicles of diabetic animals compared to the control group. AChE activity in the seminal vesicles and sphincter-trigon region of the diabetic rats was not altered significantly. These findings suggest that urogenital complications associated with diabetes may be related to the dysfunction of the peripheral cholinergic system.