摘要Objective:To study uninjured diabetic skin structure and compare the pathological characteristics of skin tissue from mouse and rat models of diabetes mellitus（DM）and humans with DM.Methods:Establishing the DM C57BL/6J mice skin tissue models and db/db mice skin tissue models,as well as DM rat skin tissue models. Skin tissues were collected from the animal models and DM patients. The biopsy specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin（HE）staining, Masson trichrome staining and periodic acid-Schiff（PAS）staining.Results:（1）Skin from mice with streptozotocin（STZ）-induced DM was thinner and had less hair than skin from control mice. The epidermis had abnormal keratinization and dermal collagen and elastin fibers were dense and significantly atrophied.（2）Compared with the control group, skin tissue from db/db mice was thinner and had less hair. There was no aberrant keratinization in the epidermis, and dermal collagen and elastin fibres were loose.（3）Skin tissue from rats with STZ-induced DM was significantly thinner than control skin. The epidermis had mildly abnormal keratinization, and the dermis layer was atrophied and partly loose. Some focal lipofuscin was deposited. （4）Whole skin tissue from patients with diabetes was significantly thinner than skin from subjects without DM. The epidermis had mild hyper keratinization, and the dermal elastin fibers were atrophied, loose, irregular, and showed focal mucoid degeneration.Conclusions:Uninjured DM skin tissues were thinner and more irregular than normal skin. Structural changes in rat DM skin were most like those seen in the skin of patients with DM.