title: Prevention of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus by 2'-deoxycoformycin in the BB Wistar rat.
abstract: The effect of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) inhibitor 2'-deoxycoformycin (dCF) on the development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) was assessed in the BB Wistar rat. Sixty-one male rats were treated from days 30 to 120 with 0, 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 mg dCF/kg/week. The incidence of IDDM was 78% in the controls and was significantly (P < 0.01) decreased in rats receiving 1.5 mg dCF/kg/week (32%), but not in rats receiving lower doses of the drug. However, for those rats that became diabetic the mean time to the development of IDDM was unchanged in animals receiving dCF compared with control. dCF treatment did not produce significant weight loss in the animals or gross changes in the thymus, spleen or kidneys. Although the protective effect of dCF against IDDM was likely produced by immunosuppression, the different dCF dosages had similar effects on ADA suppression in spleen or thymus and on dATP accumulation in these organs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Thliveris
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Begleiter
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Kobrinsky
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verburg
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D058892:Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors; D000818:Animals; D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D015649:Pentostatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB / Q000235:genetics; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D058892:Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors; D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides; D015649:Pentostatin; C026600:2'-deoxyadenosine triphosphate