Figure 1. Comparison of capillary degeneration among different rat strains. Diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries (A) and pericyte loss (B) occurred more slowly in Sprague Dawley rats than in Lewis or Wistar rats diabetic (Diab) for eight months or in age-matched nondiabetic (ND) controls. Both lesions were counted in a masked fashion on trypsin-digested microvessel preparations. All groups contained more than eight animals. Mean±SEM.