Diabetes-related alterations in the enteric nervous system and its microenvironment

Figure 2 Diabetes-related quantitative changes in the density of total and nitrergic myenteric neurons. Representative micrograph of whole-mount preparation of the myenteric plexus of the duodenum from control rat double-labeled with HuC/HuD and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (A). All nitrergic neurons were double-labeled for the two markers. The calibration bar denotes 50 μm. Densities of HuC/HuD-immunoreactive myenteric neurons (B) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase-positive myenteric neurons (C) in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon of control, diabetic and insulin-treated diabetic rats. Data are expressed as mean ± SE. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, ^cP < 0.001 vs the control group; ^dP < 0.05, ^eP < 0.001 vs untreated diabetic group. NADPH: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.