Authors: Toth, Cory; Martinez, Jose; Zochodne, Douglas W.

Source: Current Molecular Medicine, Volume 7, Number 8, December 2007 , pp. 766-776(11)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Longstanding diabetes mellitus targets kidney, retina, and blood vessels, but its impact upon the nervous system is another important source of disability. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a serious complication of inadequately treated diabetes leading to sensory loss, intractable neuropathic pain, loss of distal leg muscles, and impairment of balance and gait. Diabetes has been implicated as a cause of brain atrophy, white matter abnormalities, and cognitive impairment and a risk factor for dementia. Recent studies have incriminated advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) in the pathogenesis of diabetic nervous system complications. The availability of RAGE knockout mice and a competitive decoy for AGEs, soluble RAGE (sRAGE), has advanced our knowledge of the RAGE-mediated signalling pathways within the nervous system. They also provide hope for a future novel intervention for the prevention of diabetes-associated neurological complications. This review will discuss current knowledge of diabetes- and RAGE-mediated neurodegeneration, involving the distal-most level of epidermal nerve fibers in skin, major peripheral nerve trunks, dorsal root ganglia, spinal cord, and brain.

Keywords: DRG neurons; GAPDH inhibition; diabetic neuropathy; STZ-induced model; hippocampus

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156652407783220705

Publication date: 2007-12-01

More about this publication?

• Current Molecular Medicine is an interdisciplinary journal focused on providing the readership with current and comprehensive reviews on fundamental molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, the development of molecular-diagnosis and/or novel approaches to rational treatment. The reviews should be of significant interest to basic researchers and clinical investigators in molecular medicine. Periodically the journal will invite guest editors to devote an issue on a basic research area that shows promise to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) of a disease or has potential for clinical applications.

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