Neonatal stimulation of beta-cells reduces the incidence and delays the onset of diabetes in a barrier-protected breeding colony of BB rats.
The off-spring in a barrier maintained colony of spontaneously type 1 diabetic BB/Wor/Mol-BB rats was treated with a daily injection of either saline, forskolin, arginine, glucose or both glucose and arginine for the first six days after birth. The incidence was reduced from 88% to 72% by the neonatal stimulation with arginine and glucose in combination, which also delayed the onset time from 76.0 +/- 2.2 days to 88.1 +/- 2.3 days. No such effect was observed after stimulation with either one of the compounds. Neonatal stimulation with forskolin also delayed the onset to 87.9 +/- 3.8 days, however without reducing the incidence. A higher incidence of diabetes was observed in the barrier-protected rats taking part in this study than in an earlier study using BB rats of the same origin, but kept under conventional conditions.
Hansen
A K
AK
Animal Department, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen.
Josefsen
K
K
Pedersen
C
C
Buschard
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011913:Rats, Inbred BB; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
D005576:Colforsin; D001120:Arginine; D005947:Glucose