title: Pancreatic uptake of [2-(14)C]alloxan.
abstract: The uptake of [2-(14)C]alloxan by the pancreatic gland was investigated in control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ) rats, using both in vitro and in vivo techniques. Whether after 10 to 60 min incubation of pieces of pancreas in the presence of [2-(14)C]alloxan or 60 min to 24 h after intravenous injection of [2-(14)C]alloxan to control and insulin-treated STZ rats, the radioactive content of the pancreas (dpm/mg wet weight) only represented, in the STZ rats, about two thirds of the reference value found in control animals. These findings indicate that insulin-producing islet B-cells participate to a sizeable extent to the overall uptake of [2-(14)C]- alloxan by the whole pancreatic gland, despite the fact that they account for no more than about one percent of the total pancreas mass. Hence, it should be possible to preferentially label the endocrine moiety of the pancreas, in the perspective of its imaging and quantification by a non-invasive procedure, by use of a suitable radiolabelled molecule selectively taken up by islet, as distinct from acinar, pancreatic cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, Brussels Free University, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium. malaisse@med.ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Malaisse
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ladrière
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Malaisse-Lagae
mesh_terms: D000496:Alloxan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000818:Animals; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D000496:Alloxan