Low testosterone levels in diabetic men and animals: a possible role in testicular impotence.

Poorly controlled NOD spontaneously diabetic mice were proven to have significantly less plasma and testicular testosterone than well-controlled diabetic mice (489 +/- 15 ng/dl and 3.89 +/- 0.79 micrograms/100 g tissue, vs.

Plasma and testicular testosterone in experimental diabetic rats.

Testicular and plasma testosterone levels were found to be decreased markedly in streptozotocin diabetic rats compared with those of controls. Treatment with 6 units NPH insulin daily for one week almost normalized plasma testosterone levels parallel to the increase in body and liver weights in diabetic rats, while testosterone levels in testicles were not significantly changed. Plasma prolactin and LH levels were unchanged among control, diabetic and diabetic insulin-treated rats.

Morphological changes in autonomic ganglionic cells of the heart in diabetic patients.

To clarify the histological changes of the cardiac autonomic nervous system in diabetes mellitus, ganglionic cells of the hearts of autopsy cases were examined light microscopically. In 7 severely diabetic patients, the ganglionic neurons showed cellular contraction, cytoplasmic condensation and poor staining of Nissl substance. As neuronal alterations were obvious neither in the mild diabetic patients nor in the non-diabetic patients, these alterations therefore seemed to correlate with diabetes mellitus.

Decreased response of plasma catecholamine to stress in diabetic rats.

Previously we reported that the heart norepinephrine concentration was markedly increased in diabetic rats. To further study the relationship between a disturbance in the autonomic nervous system and catecholamine metabolism in diabetes mellitus, the plasma catecholamine response to stress and catecholamine concentration of heart and adrenals were measured. Wistar male rats were made diabetic by streptozotocin and kept for 13 weeks.