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. 2016 Feb;11(2):345–351. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.177745

Figure 5.

Figure 5

Effects of epalrestat, an ARI, on AR activity in sciatic nerve of DM rats.

(A) Western blot assay of AR protein levels in sciatic nerves in the nDM (ARI−) group, nDM (ARI+) group, DPN (ARI−) group and DPN (ARI+) group. (B) Relative density (gray value ratio of AR/β-actin of AR in nDM (ARI−) group, nDM (ARI+) group, DPN (ARI−) group and DPN (ARI+) group. The protein levels of AR significantly increased in sciatic nerve of DM rats in the DPN (ARI−) group (*P < 0.05; data are expressed as the mean ± SEM, with five rats in each group, one-way analysis of variance and the least significant difference post hoc test). Protein levels of AR were lower in the DPN (ARI+) group than in the DPN (ARI−) group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in protein levels of AR between the nDM (ARI−) and nDM (ARI+) groups (P > 0.05). (C) AR immunostaining revealed an accumulation of AR protein in Schwann cells of sciatic nerve. AR expression was very low in the myelin sheath and axon (× 40; arrows indicate the position of AR-positive cells). DM: Diabetes mellitus; nDM: non-diabetes mellitus; DPN: diabetic peripheral neuropathy; ARI: aldose reductase inhibitor; AR: aldose reductase.