Lymphopoietic function of mice with alloxan diabetes

Alloxan diabetes (sucrose blood concentration greater than or equal to 14 mmol/l) induced lymphocytopenia in noninbred male mice, resulting from the decrease in the number of both T and B lymphocytes differentiated by their reaction to acid phosphatase. At the same time thymic bone marrow lymphopoiesis in mice with diabetes was depressed. Nodular and splenic lymphopoiesis remained virtually unchanged. These disturbances became apparent on the 3rd week after diabetes induction. Alloxan itself has no inhibitory effect on lymphopoiesis.     

Effect of pectin on the function of the rat exocrine pancreas

The author studied the effect of three weeks' administration of a 5% pectin concentration in the standard (Larsen) diet on basal and cholecystokinin octapeptide-(CCK8-) stimulated pancreatic exosecretion in rats. Protein, amylase and trypsinogen output determined in pancreatic juice obtained under basal conditions and after CCK8 stimulation of the exocrine pancreas showed no statistically significant differences between rats fed on the standard and the pectin-enriched Larsen diet. Our observations and studies by other authors show that the direct effect of dietary fibre on the exocrine function of the pancreas is an open question as far as further research is concerned.     

Morphological characteristics of the endocrine pancreas in alloxan diabetes after cyclosporin A administration.

Histological, immunocytochemical, morphometric and electron microscope studies were carried out on the pancreas of alloxan diabetic rats pretreated with cyclosporin A. High mortality, severe destruction of pancreatic B-cells and presence of sporadic mononuclear infiltrations in islets and around excretory ducts were observed. The results obtained show that cyclosporin A potentiates the toxic effect of alloxan on the pancreatic B-cells.     

Islet function of the pancreas following irradiation

Function of islets of Langerhans of Wistar male rats was studied after irradiation of animals with different doses. The pancreas function was determined with regard to the incorporation of 65Zn into the gland tissues. Total-body irradiation (60Co) with the dose of 4.0 Gy somewhat increased the function of islets; at the dose of 8.0 Gy their function was transiently blocked, and at the dose of 15 Gy the function of islets of Langerhans was blocked completely.     

Electronmicroscopy studies on the exocrine pancreas of Wistar-Rats following treatment with Streptozotocin.

In Wistar rats the intraveneous injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg body weight) caused a permanent hyperglycemia. After 5 days there were lesions in the exocrine parenchyme of the pancreas and its nerve fibers. Pathological changes were found in cytoplasm, cell membrane, nucleus and all other cell organelles, too. The zymogen granules remaining after extensive degranulation may disintegrate in two different ways: 1. Shrinking of the granules and formation of a hale between granule membrane and core, the electronic density of which is decreased; indistinct demonstrability of the granule membrane and finally its decomposition. 2. Shrinking of the granules, decrease of the electron density and either homogeneous or mainly peripheral arrangement of the disintegrated material of the granules; irregular shape of the granules and splitting of their membranes.     

Acceleration of asynchronous enzyme transport in the rat exocrine pancreas following hormonal stimulation in vivo

We have measured the rate of secretion in vitro of individual rat exocrine pancreatic enzymes and proenzymes from cells in pancreatic lobules of control animals and animals subjected to 24 h optimal hormonal prestimulation with cerulein, in vivo. With the controls secreted proteins were first detectable at 20 to 25 min of chase after a 5-min pulse label, and the amount of total secretion increased slowly thereafter. With stimulated lobules secretion was first detectable at 10 to 15 min postpulse. Comparison of the rates of secretion from control and experimental lobules showed that 24 h prestimulation in vivo resulted in a fivefold increase in the rate of secretion. Measurement of the rates of secretion of the individual enzymes and proenzymes showed that they were all increased to the same extent. In both situations the serine endoproteases, proelastase 2, chymotrypsinogen 1, and trypsinogen 1 and 2, were the most rapidly secreted proteins, while amylase, the procarboxypeptidases and prophospholipase A2 were amongst the slowest. The difference in the rates of secretion of proelastase 2 and prophospholipase A2, the two extremes, was three-fold before and after prestimulation, and their halftimes of secretion from the hormonally prestimulated lobules were 34 min and 190 min, respectively. Both electron microscopic autoradiography and immunocytochemistry showed that in the hormonally prestimulated cells the secreted proenzymes and enzymes followed the normal regulated exocytotic pathway and were transported between the Golgi apparatus and the apical plasma membrane in dense cored secretory granules.