Diabetes, Vol 29, Issue 11 948-951, Copyright © 1980 by American Diabetes Association
Ventromedial hypothalamic lesions increase pancreatic sensitivity to streptozotocin in rats
DB West, Y Seino, SC Woods and D Porte
Rats with electroytic lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMX rats) and sham-operated controls (SHAM rats) were injected with streptozotocin (STZ) at a dose of 50 mg/kg 48 h after the lesions were made. VMX rats were significantly more sensitive to STZ in that over 70% died within 6 wk, shereas none of the SHAM rats dies. When smaller doses of STZ were given to VMX rats (30--35 mg/kg), a large percentage still died, although the survivors appeared equally as diabetic (in terms of hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia) as SHAM rats given a larger dose of STZ. At 25 mg/kg, the surviving VMX rats were more hyperglycemic than matched controls. We suggest that the increased B-cell activity known to occur in VMX animals might be the important factor in the increased sensitivity to STZ observed. We speculate that similar variation in pancreatic B-cell response to an environmental injury may be an important determinant of diabetes susceptibility in man.
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