title: Morphometric analysis of the endocrine pancreas in streptozotocin-diabetic rats kept on different dietary regimens.
abstract: The effects of different diets on the endocrine pancreas of streptozotocin-diabetic rats were investigated by morphometry. Three dietary regimens were used over a period of 43 weeks: standard diet (SD), low carbohydrate-high protein diet (LC-HP), and low carbohydrate-high fat diet (LC-HF). Nondiabetic controls received standard diet. Volume density of the total endocrine tissue was significantly reduced in streptozotocin-diabetic rats kept on standard diet as compared to control rats. This reduction of endocrine tissue was significantly less in rats kept on LC-HP diet, whereas diabetic rats kept on LC-HF did not differ from diabetic rats on standard diet. In streptozotocin-diabetic rats volume density of B cells was drastically reduced, whereas volume densities of A, D and PP cells did not differ from nondiabetic controls. This decrease of B cells was partially prevented by LC-HP diet, but not by LC-HF diet. In nondiabetic control rats as in diabetic rats on standard diet most of the islets of Langerhans sized 500-6000 microns2. In contrast, diabetic rats on LC-HP diet revealed more endocrine tissue sized from 50 to 560 microns2 consisting of two to four endocrine cells, single cells, and small islets. The results suggest that LC-HP diet may initiate reparation processes in the endocrine pancreas of streptozotocin-diabetic rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Marburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwarting
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Endert
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Trapp
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arnold
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D004032:Diet; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004044:Dietary Proteins