Pancreatic islets of malnourished rats: quantitative histologic and electron microscopic findings.
Young rats were maintained for three weeks on a low-protein diet. These animals developed many of the features of human protein-calorie deficiency, including dextrose intolerance and diminished insulin release. Quantitative histologic and ultrastructural studies showed that malnourished rats had (1) a reduced total pancreatic islet volume, and (2) a preponderance of pale granules in the B cells. It is suggested that pale B granules may contain increased amounts of insulin, which accumulate in the cells because of defective insulin release. The mechanism responsible for this has not been elucidated.
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats
D007328:Insulin