Minimal requirement of the remnant pancreas for protein and DNA synthesis of cultured hepatocytes prepared from pancreatectomized rats

The incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 3H-leucine into the hepatocytes was studied, using cultured hepatocytes prepared from normal and pancreatectomized rats. (1) In the cultured hepatocytes prepared from 80% pancreatectomized rats, the incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 3H-leucine into hepatocytes remained unchanged compared with those of sham-operated controls. In contrast, in those from totally pancreatectomized rats, the incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 3H-leucine decreased to approximately 67% and 37% respectively of sham-operated controls. However, those returned to near normal in the cultured hepatocytes from totally pancreatectomized rats treated by 0.8 IU/kg of insulin. (2) The addition of insulin (10(-4) M) to the culture medium stimulated the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into cultured hepatocytes prepared from normal rats to 148% of controls. The insulin-stimulated incorporation was inhibited by the addition of glucagon to the culture medium. The combined addition of insulin and glucagon did not synergistically act on DNA synthesis. It is suggested that the portal blood insulin in the presence of more than 20% of the pancreas is imperative for maintaining spontaneous regeneration.     

Effect of insulin on brain pyruvate dehydrogenase in the rat. (Preliminary note)

The activity of both active and total pyruvate dehydrogenase (E.C.1.2.4.1) is substantially reduced in the rat brain 24h after alloxan administration. Effects are partially removed by insulin administration. Ca++ and Mg++ produce: a) a considerable conversion of the inactive form of pyruvate dehydrogenase into its active form in a preparation from the brain of normal rats and of rats treated with insulin; b) no conversion in a preparation from the brain of rats treated with alloxan; c) some conversion in a preparation from the brain of rats treated with both alloxan and insulin. Active and total pyruvate dehydrogenase from the brain of rats treated with alloxan are activated by a preparation obtained from a mixture of entire plasma membranes-mitochondria from normal and from alloxan-treated rats, or from insulin-treated and alloxan treated rats. The oxygen uptake, the respiratory control index and the ADP/O ratio in mitochondrial preparations obtained from the brain of rats treated with alloxan show no modification at all.     

Effect of melatonin on vascular reactivity in pancreatectomized rats

The present study was undertaken to assess whether the improvement of contractile performance of aortic rings by melatonin described in streptozotocin diabetic rats also occurs in another model of type I diabetes, the pancreatectomized rats. Adult male Wistar rats submitted to a subtotal pancreatectomy and exhibiting altered levels of fasting glucose and an abnormal tolerance glucose test, were used. Sham-operated laparotomized rats were employed as controls. Dose-response curves for acetylcholine-induced, endothelium-related relaxation of aortic rings (after previous exposure to phenylephrine) and for phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction were conducted. This protocol was repeated with rings pre-incubated in a high glucose solution (44 mmol/l). Pancreatectomy decreased significantly acetylcholine-induced relaxation of aortic rings, but not phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction, the effect being amplified by preincubation in high glucose solution. The deleterious effect of a high glucose medium was more pronounced in pancreatectomized rats. Melatonin (10(-5) M) did not modify acetylcholine-induced relaxation in normal glucose concentration but was effective to prevent the impairment of relaxation brought about by exposure to high glucose solution. The contractile response to phenylephrine of aortic rings obtained from pancreatectomized rats was not affected by melatonin. The results further support the improvement by melatonin of endothelial-mediated relaxation in blood vessels of diabetic rats.     

The effect of insulin-induced hypoglycaemia on the secretion of glucagon and hepatic glucose production in pancreatectomized dogs

The concentration of plasma glucose in insulin deprived pancreatectomized dogs was decreased from the basal 385 +/- 44 to 65 +/- 12 mg/dL by the infusion of 7 mU X kg-1 X min-1 insulin. During the infusion, the plasma concentration of immunoreactive glucagon (IRG) did not change and hepatic glucose production was decreased. This is in contrast to earlier findings in alloxan diabetic dogs in which plasma IRG decreased in hypoglycaemia. The hypothesis is put forward that, in contrast to pancreatic alpha cells in which the effect of insulin prevails, neither insulin nor a decrease in the ambient concentration of glucose exerts any effect on the secretion of glucagon from extrapancreatic alpha cells.     

Effects of vitamin E, ascorbic acid and mannitol on alloxan-induced lipid peroxidation in rats

ω6- and ω3-unsaturated lipid hydroperoxides decompose to yield pentane and ethane, respectively. Alloxan toxicity was studied in rats in relation to pentane and ethane produced during lipid peroxidation induced by intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg of alloxan/100 g body wt. Fifteen minutes after injection, vitamin E-deficient rats exhaled 102- and 11.2-fold more pentane and ethane, respectively, than prior to injection. Injection of 75 mg ascorbic acid/100 g body wt 30 min prior to alloxan treatment prolonged the time over which peroxidation occurred and all vitamin E-deficient rats died before 4 h. Vitamin E-deficient rats injected with 100 mg of the radical scavenger mannitol/ 100 g body wt 30 min prior to alloxan treatment were completely protected against lipid peroxidation, and none of the rats died by 4 h. Rats fed 40 iu dl-α-tocopherol acetate/kg diet or injected with 100 mg dl-α-tocopherol/100 g body wt were either totally protected against alloxan and alloxan-ascorbic acid-induced peroxidation or were only slightly affected as shown by very low-level pentane and ethane production. Thiobarbituric acid reactants in plasma, liver and pancreas 4 h after alloxan treatment reflected the prooxidant nature of ascorbic acid and alloxan, the vitamin E status of the rats and the protective effect of mannitol. Plasma glucose levels 4 h after alloxan injection were lowest in vitamin E-injected rats and highest in vitamin E-deficient rats. Only in vitamin E-deficient rats were both lipid peroxidation and significantly elevated plasma glucose levels observed by 4 h post-alloxan treatment.     

Effect of insulin on the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the rat brain

The level of PDHa and PDHt is substantially reduced in the rat brain 24 hours after alloxan administration. Effects are almost completely reversed by insulin administration. PDHa and PDHt from alloxan rat brains are remarkably activated when assayed on samples obtained by combining and preincubating at 30 degrees C for 30 min a homogenate from fresh unfrozen brains of alloxan rats, with a similarly treated preparation from fresh unfrozen brains of normal or insulin rats. On the contrary, no activation at all is obtained if the preincubation is carried out on homogenates from frozen and thawed brains. In alloxan rats, brain acetyl CoA level decreases remarkably whereas plasma free fatty acid concentration increases. Such changes disappear after insulin administration. The oxygen uptake, the respiratory control index and the ADP/O ratio in mitochondrial preparations obtained from brains of alloxan rats show no modifications at all.     

Islet transplantation in experimental diabetes in the rat. III. Studies in allogeneic streptozotocin-treated rats.

Diabetes of various degrees of severity was induced experimentally in rats by different doses of streptozotocin. These animals served as recipients for isolated islets of Langerhans from allogeneic donors. The islets were transplanted to different regions in the organism by paravascular or intravascular injection. As in pancreatectomized rats, the endocrine effect of the islets was only transient and consisted of disappearance of glycosuria, normalization of blood glucose and amelioration of intravenous glucose tolerance tests. When the islets were injected intravascularly (lung, liver) the influence of the transplanted islets was observable over a longer period than after subcutaneous or another paravascular transplantation. As in pancreatectomized animals, the period of survival was markedly prolonged in rats which had received a transplant compared to those which had not. The islets responded to glucose stimulation in vivo with insulin secretion similar to that of control rats, while only a very slight elevation of the low basis levels in streptozotocin-treated rats was observed.     

异搏定对四氧嘧啶损害大鼠胰岛β细胞的保护作用

本工作用四氧嘧啶(尾静脉注射)造成大鼠实验性糖尿病模型。若预先由腹腔注射异搏定(40mg/kg)则可使大鼠血糖水平明显降低,不产生糖尿病,注射四氧嘧啶后48h,血糖浓度的平均值由22.93±1.37mmol/L下降到8.79±0.83mmol/L。口服葡萄糖耐量试验观察到,经过异搏定处理的糖尿病大鼠,在注射四氧嘧啶后的48h,其胰岛素分泌功能较未经异搏定处理的糖尿病大鼠有明显的恢复。组织学切片也显示,胰岛β细胞内胰岛素分泌颗粒的含量在异搏定处理组较单独四氧嘧啶处理组明显增多。上述结果表明,预先注射异搏定能减轻四氧嘧啶对胰岛β细胞造成的急性损伤。     

Effect of muscle relaxants on the motor endplate of diabetic and glucocorticoid pretreated rats

The susceptibility to d-tubocurarine, gallamine, pancuronium, succinylcholine, and decamethonium of the motor endplate innervated by the anterior tibial nerve was studied in alloxan diabetic rats and in rats pretreated with cortisone and dexamethasone. The sensitivity to various muscle relaxants of cholinergic receptors in the motor endplate of alloxan diabetic and glucocorticoid-treated rats was changed. Beside alterations in affinity, in some cases the kinetics of action were also altered as compared to controls. The phenomenon is suggested to be brought about by a modulator substance circulating in the blood of alloxan diabetic and glucocorticoid-treated rats.     

Calcitonin antibodies in experimental diabetes mellitus

Antibodies to calcitonin appear in blood of rats with experimental alloxan diabetes. This phenomenon is observed only under high blood sugar. At the stage of latent diabetes, i.e. during alloxan administration to the body and low blood sugar no antibodies to calcitonin are detected. It is possible that appearance of autoantibodies to calcitonin is one of pathogenetic factors of hyperglycemia development in rats with alloxan diabetes.     

Influence of blood glucose on convulsive seizures from hyperbaric oxygen

Previous evidence suggests a causal relationship between blood glucose levels and the development of generalized epileptiform seizures. In the present study rats were pretreated with glucose, alloxan, or insulin prior to exposure to 6 atmospheres absolute (ATA) oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber. The results showed that the administration of glucose prior to oxygen exposure increased the time-to-seizure by 90% and alloxan by 110%, whereas in contrast insulin decreased the time-to-seizure by 55%. Blood glucose levels were consistently elevated in rats following oxygen exposure. A trend towards reduced lung damage by glucose and alloxan pretreatment was suggested by the data, although no changes were significant. Our results showed that prior administration of glucose or alloxan offered partial protection from oxygen toxicity in rats, whereas insulin generally augumented the reaction.     

Protein deficiency attenuates the effects of alloxan on insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis in rats.

We have investigated the effect of alloxan on insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis in rats maintained on a 17% protein (normal protein, NP) or 6% protein (low protein, LP) diet from weaning (21 days old) to adulthood (90 days old). The incidence of alloxan diabetes was higher in the NP (3.5 times) than in the LP group. During an oral glucose tolerance test, the area under serum glucose curve was lower in LP (57%) than in NP rats while there were no differences between the two groups in the area under serum insulin curve. The serum glucose disappearance rate (Kitt) after exogenous insulin administration was higher in LP (50%) than in NP rats. In pancreatic islets isolated from rats not injected with alloxan, acute exposure to alloxan (0.05 mmol/L) reduced the glucose- or arginine-stimulated insulin secretion of NP islets by 78% and 56%, respectively, whereas for islets from LP rats, the reduction was 47% and 17% in the presence of glucose and arginine, respectively. Alloxan treatment reduced the glucose oxidation in islets from LP rats to a lesser extent than in NP islets (23% vs. 56%). In conclusion, alloxan was less effective in producing hyperglycemia in rats fed a low protein diet than in normal diet rats. This effect is attributable to an increased peripheral sensivity to insulin in addition to a better preservation of glucose oxidation and insulin secretion in islets from rats fed a low protein diet.     

Alloxan in vivo does not only exert deleterious effects on pancreatic B cells

The aim of the experiment was to investigate the mechanism of harmful alloxan action in vivo. 75 mg/kg b.w. of this diabetogenic agent were administered to fasting rats. Two minutes later the animals were decapitated. It was observed that alloxan caused a distinct rise in blood insulin and glucose levels with a concomitant drop of free fatty acids. The amount of sulfhydryl groups in the liver of alloxan-treated rats was decreased and glutathione peroxidase activity was substantially higher. These results indicate that some changes observed in alloxan-induced diabetes can not only be the consequence of B cells damage by alloxan but may also be the result of its direct influence on other tissues. It was also observed that glucose given 20 min before alloxan injection only partially protected against the deleterious effects of alloxan.     

Alpha-glucosidase inhibition from a Chinese medical herb (Ramulus mori) in normal and diabetic rats and mice

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are oral antidiabetic drugs. A traditional Chinese medical herb, Sangzhi (Ramulus mori), appears to have properties similar to those of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. The effects of an aqueous extract of Shangzhi (SZ) were studied in normal and alloxan diabetic rats and mice, and these results compared with those for acarbose, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor. In our grade-dose studies, SZ was found to lower and prolong the zenith of blood glucose concentration (ZBG) after sucrose or starch loading and stabilize blood glucose levels in fasting normal and alloxan diabetic mice. After 2 weeks of SZ administration with high-calorie chow or a normal diet, the fasting and non-fasting blood glucose concentrations in alloxan diabetic mice and rats were decreased. In alloxan rats, the blood fructosamine concentration was lowered. Results for acarbose and SZ were similar. These indicate that SZ has alpha-glucosidase inhibitory effects.     

Diabetogenic action of alloxan in short-term termination of the blood supply to the pancreas and spleen

It has been shown that the development of alloxan diabetes in rats and the appearance of diabetogenic factor in blood is caused by the direct alloxan action on pancreas and spleen--the organs supplying by blood through the spleen artery. The stopping of blood circulation in that artery preserves rat's organism from the development of general toxic effect of alloxan. The inactivation of alloxan as a diabetogenic agent has been shown after its 5-minute at 37 degrees C incubation with blood. It has been established that the half activity of intravenous injected alloxan disappears in rat's organism during 50 s. and does not depend on alloxan sensitivity of animals.     

Effect of ascorbic acid and oat polyphenols on respiration and oxidative phosphorylation in liver mitochondria in alloxan diabetic rats

30 mg of ascorbic acid and 80 mg of dry oats extracts were administered to rats with alloxan diabetes during a day per 1 kg of live weight. Administration of these preparations during 6, 12 and 24 days prevents the uncoupling action of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation, that was observed in the rats with alloxan diabetes which were not given ascorbic acid and oats polyphenols. The P/O coefficient on the alloxan diabetes rats on the 6, 12 and 24 days was 1.32 +/- 0.027; 1.26 +/- 0.013; 1.22 +/- 0.18, respectively; in the rats which were given ascorbic acid and oats polyphenols to P/O coefficient was 1.85 +/- 0,026, 1.80 +/- 0.024 and 1.75 +/- 0.028, respectively.     

A steroidal glycoside from Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce. improves insulin resistance but does not alter insulin secretion in 90% pancreatectomized rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three steroidal glycosides (SG-100, SG-280, and SG-460) obtained from Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce. on insulin secretion, insulin action, and relative glucose uptake in various tissues of 90% pancreatectomized male Sprague-Dawley rats. One of the compounds (30 mg/kg body weight daily) with a 40%-fat diet was orally administered to a group of such rats for 13 weeks. On the day after a hyperglycemic clamp, euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp with 1 microCi of [1-(14)C]2-deoxyglucose per 100 g body weight was used. Serum glucose levels were lowest in the rats receiving SG-100. Insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells did not change with SG administration. Whole-body glucose disposal rates increased with SG-100 administration by 39%. SG-100 increased the glycogen contents and glycogen synthase activity in the soleus muscle of pancreatectomized rats. Uptake of [1-(14)C]2-deoxyglucose into the soleus muscle was higher in such rats receiving SG-100 than in rats receiving other compounds. In conclusion, SG-100 has an antihyperglycemic effect by promoting peripheral insulin sensitivity without changing insulin secretion.     

Atomic-force microscopy of erythrocytes and metabolic disorders in experimental diabetes mellitus and during the correction of diabetes with lipoic acid

Lipid peroxidation in blood plasma and red blood cells was shown to have minor effects on the state of the erythrocyte membranes in rats with alloxan diabetes. Administration of α-lipoic acid to rats with alloxan diabetes affected the metabolism of the animals and induced significant changes in erythrocyte morphology, as demonstrated by atomic-force microscopy.     

Comparative study of alloxan effects in copper-loaded and iron-loaded rats: lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, proteasome and antioxidant enzyme activities

The in-vivo effects of alloxan on protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation, as well as on proteasome and antioxidant enzyme activities in liver and kidney of copper-loaded and iron-loaded rats, were studied. In control animals, a single alloxan dose (120 mg/kg, i.p.) increased blood-glucose concentration at the 24^th hr and 48^th hr and, especially, on the 5^th day. For these periods of alloxan action, no changes in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities were found; only a slight increase of carbonyl content and strong increase of trypsin-like proteasome activity in rat liver on the 5^th day was observed. Five days after alloxan injection, the blood-glucose concentration in iron-pretreated rats was similar to that of the controls. However, it was significantly lower in copper-pretreated animals; hence, insulin-mimetic action of copper might be suggested. The lower proteasome activity, measured in liver of copper-pretreated diabetic rats is probably due to a potential copper-chelating ability of alloxan. The present results showed that the action of alloxan was different in copper-and iron-pretreated rats. Analogous studies, using pretreatment with other metals, would contribute to a further elucidation of the role of different metals in diabetes development, especially in regions with environmental metal contamination.     

Hepatic and pancreatic effects of polyenoylphosphatidylcholine in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes

Polyenoylphosphatidylcholine (PPC: 100 or 300 mg kg^?1 b.w., by gastric intubation for 30 days) produced a clearcut protection of the liver of rats treated with alloxan (150 mg kg^?1 b.w., i.p.). The liver of rats treated with alloxan was characterized by hydropic dystrophy and lymphocytic infiltrations. Treatment with alloxan increased serum γ-GT and ALAT activities. The liver structure of rats treated with PPC did not differ from the liver of control animals. PPC normalized the biochemical abnormalities caused by the diabetes. The number of pancreatic islets and β/α; cell ratio decreased in the diabetic rats. A number of β-cells in this group did not contain granules. PPC prevented the decrease in the number of islets and the β/α; cell ratio in the pancreas of the diabetic rats. The intensity of staining of β-cell granules in the pancreas of PPC-treated rats had a position intermediate between the control and diabetic groups. Alloxan increased the blood glucose content where treatment with PPC decreased this. The results suggest that PPC acts as a cytoprotector in the liver and pancreas of rats with experimental diabetes induced by alloxan.