title: Species differences in susceptibility of transplanted and cultured pancreatic islets to the beta-cell toxin alloxan.
abstract: The beta-cell toxin alloxan, which produces oxygen radicals, is a model substance in studies of type 1 diabetes. Recently, human beta-cells have been found to be relatively resistant to this toxin. To clarify species differences in alloxan diabetogenicity, and oxygen radical toxicity, mouse, rat, rabbit, dog, pig, human and guinea pig islets have been studied after alloxan exposure. Using a standardized in vivo model, where islets were transplanted to nude mice, the different islets were compared. The results demonstrated that mouse and rat islet grafts were morphologically disturbed by alloxan and ROS. Rabbit and dog islet graft morphology was reasonably intact; and human, porcine, and guinea pig islet grafts were all well preserved. Furthermore, ultrastructural signs of apoptosis and necrosis, disturbances in the insulin secretory pattern during and after an alloxan perifusion, and islet lysosomal enzyme activities were studied in vitro in islets from some species. Guinea pig beta-cells were affected by alloxan, but a regeneration process compensated for the observed apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Human islets did not show any signs of alloxan-induced damage in the different models studied. Finally, no correlation between high alloxan sensitivity and high lysosomal enzyme activity was found. Thus, the beta-cell lysosomes are hardly specific targets for alloxan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE-751 23, Sweden. btyrberg@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tyrberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Borg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000496:Alloxan / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004285:Dogs; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007328:Insulin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D000496:Alloxan