ObjectiveTo investigate relationship between ultrastructural changes and expression of basic fibroblast growth factor of diabetic retinopathy in rats.MethodsDiabetes was induced in rats with a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ) and divided into normal control group and 1- , 3- and 5- month diabetes group. The paraffin slide was observed by in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, and retinal ultrastructure was examined by transmission electron microscopy.ResultsNo change of retinal ultrastructure was found in the control group. Different degrees of ultrastructure lesion were found in 1-month diabetic rats with fragmental increase of thickness of basement membrane, swelling of endothelial cells and obvions fingerlike processes in the capillary cavity, disconcentration of heterochromatin both in endothelium and pericyte, and swelling and degeneration of mitochondrion. The edema of endothelial cells of 3-month diabetic rats was more serious than that of 1month ones, and the capillary cavity was nearly occluded. In 5-month diabetic rats, the basement membrane was unevenly thickened, or obviously split. The positive rate of in-situ hybridization in 3-month diabetic rats was 77.8% while the positive rate of immunohistochemical stain was 55.6%, which increased to 88.9% in 5-month diabetic rats.ConclusionsThe occurrence of the ultrastructural changes in STZ rats with diabetic retinopathy is earlier than that of the expression of bFGF.(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2003,19:348-351)