An ultrastructural study on the pancreatic islet B cells in diabetic herbivorous voles.
An ultrastructural study was performed on the pancreatic islet cells of normal herbivorous voles and of voles in which diet-induced diabetes had been induced by feeding a low-fibre, high-concentrate diet. Examination of the pancreatic islet cells revealed degranulation and a well-developed Golgi apparatus and rough endoplasmic reticulum in the B cells of the slightly diabetic voles showing moderate hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia, and markedly degenerative B cells with almost complete absence of secretory granules in the severely diabetic voles showing marked hyperglycaemia and hypoinsulinaemia. These results indicate that the pancreatic B cells had become hyperfunctional so that insulin secretion was increased in the slightly diabetic voles; thereafter the B cells degenerated rapidly and the voles fell into insulin deficiency.
Sasaki
M
M
Development Research Laboratories, Banyu Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Saitama, Japan.
Arai
T
T
Oki
Y
Y
Komeda
K
K
D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae; D015550:Cell Degranulation; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000473:pathology*
D007328:Insulin