Shahdevi N. Kurniawan, Abdullah Abdullah, Machlusil Husna, Husnul Khotimah, Yoga Waranugraha
Diabetic neuropathy is a disease caused by nerve damage due to diabetes mellitus. Researches on diabetic neuropathy usually focus on behavioural changes or stimulus-response, and do not assess brain damage. This study aimed to determine the structural and neuronal changes in the brain of diabetic neuropathy rats. Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups. The first three groups were administered high-fat and high-glucose diet for 21 days, followed by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at 40 mg/kg in the first month (Group 1) and second month (Group 2), and at 20 mg/kg in the third month (Group 3). The fourth group (control) were given sterile water for injection intraperitoneally, followed by high-fat and glucose diet for 10 days only. Fasting blood glucose and body weight of the rats were measured. Thereafter, the rats were sacrificed under ketamine anaesthesia, brain tissues were isolated and used for histological examination and flow cytometric analysis for Nrf2, NF-κB, and Caspase-3. STZ-induction resulted in significant elevation of fasting blood glucose above 7.7 mmol/L accompanied by significant reduction in body weight. Flow cytometric analysis showed no significant changes in the expression levels of Nrf2, NF-κB, and Caspase-3, although, their expression were higher in the diabetic rats, especially in the second month. Histological examination revealed significant brain tissue damage characterized by inflammation, scarring, gliosis, and scrambled tissue architecture in the brain of diabetic rats. These findings provide clear evidence of structural and neuronal changes in the brain of diabetic neuropathy rats. © 2026 Kurniawan et al.
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Brawijaya University, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Brawijaya University, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Brawijaya University, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
