A standard diabetic rat model for muscle flap studies

There are numerous experimental studies using rats that investigate diabetic muscle flaps and vascular pathology. The aim of this study was to develop and present a standard diabetic rat model for muscle flap studies via examining the time-dependent histological alterations of the rectus abdominis muscle vascular structure. Experimental diabetes was introduced in 15 male adult Sprague–Dawley rats by injecting a single dose of intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg). The control group of five rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of 1 cm3 sterile saline. Starting at the 15th day from the time of injection, random single rats from each group were sacrificed at 15-day intervals. Rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps were harvested and evaluated histopathologically. Endothelial irregularity and fragmentation started by the 30th day. All of these morphologic alterations became more evident as the duration of diabetes extended.