Marini, Gabriela [UNESP]Barbosa, Angélica M. Pascon [UNESP]Damasceno, Débora Cristina [UNESP]Matheus, Selma Maria Michelin [UNESP]Castro, Rodrigo de AquinoGirão, Manoel João B. CastelloRudge, Marilza Vieira Cunha [UNESP]2014-05-272014-05-272011-12-01Urogynaecologia International Journal, v. 25, n. 1, 2011.1121-3086http://hdl.handle.net/11449/72960Background: This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that diabetes and pregnancy detrimentally affect the normal function of urethral striated muscles in rats, providing a model for additional studies related to urinary incontinence. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological alterations in the urethral striated muscles of diabetic pregnant rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty female Wistar rats were distributed into four experimental groups of five rats as follows: virgin, pregnant, diabetic virgin, and diabetic pregnant. Diabetes was induced using streptozotocin administration (40 mg/kg i.v.). The rats were lethally anesthetized, and the urethra and vagina were extracted as a unit. Cryostat sections (6 μm thick) were cut and stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and immunohistochemical procedures were performed and subjected to morphological and semi quantitative analysis. Results: The urethral striated muscle from the diabetic pregnant rats presented with the following variations: thinning and atrophy, disorganization and disruption associated with the colocalization of fast and slow fibers and a steady decrease in the proportion of fast vs slow fibers. Conclusion: Diabetes and pregnancy impair the urethral striated muscle and alter its fiber type distribution. © Copyright G. Marini et al., 2011.engDiabetesPregnancyStriated muscle fiberUrethraArtigo10.4081/uij.2011.e9Acesso aberto2-s2.0-8485722859067586803888350780000-0002-9227-832X