title: Immunological aspect of non-obese diabetic mice: immune islet cell-killing mechanism and cell-mediated immunity.
abstract: The non-obese diabetic mouse is thought to be one of the best available animal models for human Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. By 51Cr release assay we investigated cell-mediated cytotoxicity to the islet cell of Balb/C mice, natural killer activity, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity of spleen lymphocytes from pre-diabetic non-obese diabetic mice. The cell-mediated cytotoxicity to islet cells of non-obese diabetic mice was significantly higher than that of control ICR mice. In contrast, natural killer and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activities of the spleen cells from the non-obese diabetic mice were significantly lower than those of ICR mice spleen cells. These results suggest that lymphocytes from non-obese diabetic mice were sensitized to the antigen of islet cells and that the non-specific cellular immunity of non-obese mice was reduced. They suggest also that this immune islet cell-killing mechanism may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000920:Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology