title: Diabetes mellitus in the BB/W rat. Insulitis in pancreatic islet grafts after transplantation in diabetic recipients.
abstract: Spontaneous diabetes mellitus in the BioBreeding/Worcester (BB/W) rat is preceded by lymphocytic insulitis which destroys pancreatic beta cells. Cultured major histocompatibility complex identical pancreatic islets and adrenal cortex derived from diabetes-resistant BB/W donors were transplanted into diabetic recipients with hyperglycemia of variable duration. Islet grafts were the targets of BB/W immune attack and revealed lymphocytic insulitis after transplantation into diabetic recipients even in the absence of insulitis within endogenous pancreatic islets. These findings suggest that the BB/W immune attack on pancreatic beta cells can recur in islet grafts long after the onset of the diabetic syndrome.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation; D000818:Animals; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000473:pathology; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB / Q000502:physiology*; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000502:physiology*