Morphometric evaluation of capillary basement membrane thickness in the quadriceps muscle of diabetic and nondiabetic Chinese hamsters

Quadriceps muscle capillaries from 19-23 month old genetically diabetic (XA and AC) and nondiabetic (M) subline Chinese hamsters were morphometrically evaluated to determine if capillary basement membrane thickening (CBMT) is a quantifiable complication of diabetes. Significant CBMT was present in the diabetic XA Chinese hamsters (49.37 nm +/- 17.81, p less than 0.007) in comparison with the nondiabetic M hamsters (34.08 nm +/- 9.98). Although there was a trend towards expansion of the muscle capillary basement membranes in the diabetic AC Chinese hamsters, the value was not statistically significant. A nested analysis of variance showed that the greatest source of variation in basement membrane thickness occurred among capillaries within each animal. In addition, a positive correlation (r = 0.62; p less than 0.002) existed between blood glucose levels and CBMT in the XA subline. These data should serve as guidelines for evaluation of antimicrovascular disease compounds which will be tested to determine if they prevent or retard microangiopathy in the diabetic Chinese hamster.