Prevention of diabetes by thymic hormone in alloxan-treated rats.
We investigated the effects of facteur thymique sérique (FTS), a thymic peptide hormone, on alloxan- and streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats. Pretreatment with intravenous injection of FTS significantly suppressed both alloxan- and streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia. The effects of FTS were time dependent. FTS suppressed hyperglycemia in a dose range of 1-6600 micrograms/kg. Alloxan-induced hyperglycemia was completely prevented when FTS was injected in doses of 40-50 micrograms/kg 1 min before injection of alloxan. Histological examination of islet areas showed that alloxan-induced destruction of beta-cells was inhibited by FTS. FTS had no significant effects on lymphocyte subsets and immunity-related cells or on plasma superoxide dismutase activity and total glutathione level. The blood half-life time of exogenously injected FTS was short (2-3 min), indicating acute internalization of FTS into pancreatic beta-cells. Our results suggested that FTS acutely and directly blocks some initial effect of alloxan, preventing the destruction of beta-cells.
Yamanouchi
T
T
Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Teikyo School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Moromizato
H
H
Kojima
S
S
Shinohara
T
T
Sekino
N
N
Minoda
S
S
Miyashita
H
H
Akaoka
I
I
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood; D013935:Thymic Factor, Circulating / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D013935:Thymic Factor, Circulating; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005978:Glutathione