Relationships between Mechanical Nociceptive Threshold and Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Male Rats with Experimental Type I Diabetes Mellitus

Resumo

We analyzed the dynamics of neuropathic pain development and changes in catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the brain, liver, and skeletal muscles of male Wistar rats with 1-month streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus. A decrease in mechanical nociceptive threshold was revealed that progressed during the disease progress. Insulin treatment restored nociceptive threshold in diabetic animals to the control values. Catalase activity in the liver and skeletal muscles of diabetic rats increased by 1.5 and 2 times, respectively, in comparison with the control, while insulin treatment reduced enzyme activity to the control level. In the brain, catalase activity was reduced by 1.5 times and insulin therapy did affect this parameter. SOD activity in the studied tissues remained unchanged during diabetes and was not affected by insulin therapy. A strong negative correlation between nociceptive threshold in rats and catalase activity in their liver and skeletal muscles was found.