Dorsal root ganglion neurons from streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic, genetic diabetic and normal mice were cultured in serum-containing media with or without nerve growth factor (NGF). The immunocytochemical analysis carried out after 1 week in culture revealed that the ratios of neurons immunoreactive to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in NGF-free medium in the STZ-diabetic mice (average 23.2%) were significantly lower than those in the normal mice (45.1%). The ratios of neurons immunoreactive to CGRP and substance P (SP) in the NGF-free medium were also lower in the genetic diabetic mice (23.6% and 21.8%) than those in the normal ones (40.7% and 34.2%). However, treatment with NGF restored these reduced immunoreactivities in the diabetic groups in a dose-dependent manner. These results show that NGF can be effective for the diabetes-induced depletion of CGRP and SP in sensory neurons, and suggest its possible role in the prevention and improvement of diabetic sensory neuropathy. © 1994.