The effect of non-enzymatic glycation of serum proteins on their permeation into peripheral nerve in normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

The permeation of native and non-enzymatically glycated albumin and immunoglobulin G into the endoneurium of the sciatic nerve of rats was examined in acute experiments. Low amounts of native albumin entered both in control and streptozotocin-diabetic animals with no significant difference between them. The entry of glycated albumin was significantly greater both in control and diabetic rats, especially in the former. Permeation of native and glycated immunoglobulin G was not detectable over the time course of the experiment. It is concluded that glycation of albumin enhances its permeation into the nerve. This may be relevant to the increased amounts of endoneurial albumin that are detectable in human diabetic neuropathy.