Sodium-potassium-ATPase activity in the dorsal root ganglia of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

Sodium-potassium-ATPase activity was measured in excised dorsal root ganglia of streptozotocin-diabetic rats, 2 months after induction of diabetes. In comparison with age-matched controls, there was a decrease in both the total and ouabain-insensitive activity, indicating an overall reduction in ouabain-sensitive activity of 46%. This decrease may explain the reduced amino-acid uptake exhibited by diabetic sensory ganglia and could be relevant to the development of diabetic neuropathy.