Transport of myo-inositol into endoneurial preparations of sciatic nerve from normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats

myo-Inositol transport by a viable rat sciatic-nerve preparation is described. Such 'endoneurial' nerve preparations accumulated myo-inositol by an energy-dependent saturable system. Streptozotocin-diabetes reduced myo-inositol transport into sciatic nerve by approx. 40%. Elevated medium glucose concentration reduced myo-inositol transport into control nerves to a similar extent. Fructose and sorbitol did not inhibit myo-inositol transport. Inclusion of an aldose reductase inhibitor in the medium counteracted the reduced myo-inositol transport caused by elevated glucose concentration. The importance of these results to the problem of diabetic neuropathy is discussed.