Effect of Strain Differences on Alloxan Diabetes in Albino Rats

Abstract

Studies in this laboratory on the details of the alloxan reaction in albino rats of Wistar parentage have revealed a number of features hitherto not reported in this or other species of experimental animal. 1 ' 2 > 3 These features include:1. Greater susceptibility of females than of males to alloxan diabetes, a sex difference not eliminated by prepubertal gonadectomy.2. Marked and delayed hypoglycemic phase of the alloxan reaction occurring at about the 24th to 37th hours after injection.3. Inability of severely diabetic animals to maintain high fasting blood sugars and the frequent occurrence of severe fasting hypoglycemia, a demonstration that alloxan diabetes in Wistar rats is of a complex and unorthodox type.It seemed strange that these characteristics of alloxan diabetes, so marked in the Wistar derivative, were not described by other workers who have observed alloxan treated rats. It appeared likely that the explanation might lie in strain differences. The present work, which explores this possibility, demonstrates that such a strain difference does in fact exist and implies diversity between strains in endocrine endowment relating to carbohydrate metabolism. EXPERIMENTALObservations of the alloxan reaction in 72 male and 72 female albino rats of Wistar origin which were reported previously 1 are compared herein with those from a similar experiment using 68 male and 66 female

The Acute Pancreatic Effect of Alloxan in the Rabbit

“…However, Beach, Bradshaw& Cullimore (1956) showed that in some strains of albino rats the triphasic blood sugar response may be completely absent, with permanent hyperglycaemia setting in a few minutes after injection. This pattern was confirmed by Morgan & Lazarow (1965) who showed that serum insulin values fell to, and remained at, very low levels soon after alloxan administra¬ tion while there was no change in the insulin content of the pancreas until at least 24 hr.…”