A comparison between islet transplantation and parenteral insulin in the control of diabetes and prevention of renal complications in mice.
The control of diabetes and the prevention of renal complications were studied in mice that received different treatment regimes for six months. Transplantation of syngeneic cultured fetal pancreas completely reversed streptozotocin-induced diabetes (mean FBG 5.1 +/- 0.4 mmole/liter six months after transplantation, versus 5.8 +/- 0.2 mmole/liter in normal mice). The mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) level of insulin-treated mice was lower than the mean FBG level of untreated diabetic mice (9.0 +/- 1.2 mmole/liter versus 11.5 +/- 1.3 mmole/liter, P less than 0.05) but exceeded the FBG level of transplanted mice (P less than 0.001) or normal controls (P less than 0.001). There were no significant differences between the mean level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of normal (4.8 +/- 0.3%), transplanted (4.5 +/- 0.3%), or insulin-treated mice (5.3 +/- 0.4%), but the HbA1c level in the untreated diabetic group was increased (7.0 +/- 0.5%; P less than 0.001). Six months after transplantation, the thickness of the glomerular capillary basement membrane (GCBM) was not different in the transplanted group and normal controls (156.4 +/- 5.7 nm versus 157.3 +/- 12.6 nm); the GCBM was thicker in the insulin-treated mice than in the transplanted mice (179.8 +/- 4.2 nm versus 156.4 +/- 5.7 nm; P less than 0.02), but thinner than in untreated diabetic mice (179.8 +/- 4.2 nm versus 202.2 +/- 4.4 nm; P less than 0.001). It is concluded that islet transplantation, in contrast to good control as judged by normalization of HbA1c levels achieved with parenteral insulin, prevents GCBM thickening in experimental diabetes.
D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D007267:Injections; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D009402:Nephrosis, Lipoid / Q000517:prevention & control
D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007328:Insulin