Alterations of the vegetative nervous system, experimental diabetes and pharmacological use of gangliosides

We studied in diabetic animals several variables related to the vegetative innervation of the heart and the urinary bladder. Cardiac content of norepinephrine was lower in the heart of the diabetic mice (db/db) as compared to the heart of their heterozygote littermates (db/m). Bladder responses were clearly altered in alloxan treated rats as compared to normal rats, as shown by an increased vesical weight, an increased threshold for micturition reflex and a reduced rate of rhythmic contraction. Ganglioside administration was able to prevent partly or completely these alterations observed in the diabetic animals.