Biomaterial Database

The role of thymic immunity and insulitis in the development of streptozocin-induced diabetes in mice. 1984

M Nakamura, and S Nagafuchi, and K Yamaguchi, and R Takaki

This article is concerned with the role of thymic immunity in the development of diabetes experimentally induced by multiple injections of subdiabetogenic doses of streptozocin (STZ). Euthymic +/+, +/nu, and athymic nu/nu mice of CD-1 and BALB/cAJcl origin were studied. Daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of 30 mg/kg body wt of STZ for 5 consecutive days in CD-1 +/+ and +/nu mice resulted in hyperglycemia and mononuclear cell infiltrations of islets (insulitis). The CD-1 nu/nu mice developed neither insulitis nor hyperglycemia after the same treatment. In the nu/nu mice, when thymic immunity was restored by thymus grafting, both insulitis and hyperglycemia developed, thus demonstrating that thymic immunity was a prerequisite for the development of insulitis and hyperglycemia. There was a positive correlation among the degrees of thymic immunity, insulitis, and hyperglycemia in CD-1 +/nu, nu/nu with thymus grafts, and nu/nu mice, indicating that thymic immunity may amplify the diabetogenic effect of STZ by eliciting insulitis. In contrast, in BALB/cAJcl mice, a nonsusceptible strain to insulitis, no significant differences in plasma glucose levels were observed between the +/nu and nu/nu or between the nu/nu and thymus-grafted nu/nu mice. Furthermore, no significant difference was found in plasma testosterone levels between the +/nu and nu/nu mice of both CD-1 and BALB/cAJcl origin. In conclusion, our data indicate that thymic immunity enhances the diabetogenic effect of STZ by eliciting insulitis in susceptible mice.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007111	Immunity, Cellular	Manifestations of the immune response which are mediated by antigen-sensitized T-lymphocytes via lymphokines or direct cytotoxicity. This takes place in the absence of circulating antibody or where antibody plays a subordinate role.	Cell-Mediated Immunity,Cellular Immune Response,Cell Mediated Immunity,Cell-Mediated Immunities,Cellular Immune Responses,Cellular Immunities,Cellular Immunity,Immune Response, Cellular,Immune Responses, Cellular,Immunities, Cell-Mediated,Immunities, Cellular,Immunity, Cell-Mediated,Response, Cellular Immune
D007515	Islets of Langerhans	Irregular microscopic structures consisting of cords of endocrine cells that are scattered throughout the PANCREAS among the exocrine acini. Each islet is surrounded by connective tissue fibers and penetrated by a network of capillaries. There are four major cell types. The most abundant beta cells (50-80%) secrete INSULIN. Alpha cells (5-20%) secrete GLUCAGON. PP cells (10-35%) secrete PANCREATIC POLYPEPTIDE. Delta cells (~5%) secrete SOMATOSTATIN.	Islands of Langerhans,Islet Cells,Nesidioblasts,Pancreas, Endocrine,Pancreatic Islets,Cell, Islet,Cells, Islet,Endocrine Pancreas,Islet Cell,Islet, Pancreatic,Islets, Pancreatic,Langerhans Islands,Langerhans Islets,Nesidioblast,Pancreatic Islet
D008297	Male		Males
D008815	Mice, Inbred Strains	Genetically identical individuals developed from brother and sister matings which have been carried out for twenty or more generations, or by parent x offspring matings carried out with certain restrictions. All animals within an inbred strain trace back to a common ancestor in the twentieth generation.	Inbred Mouse Strains,Inbred Strain of Mice,Inbred Strain of Mouse,Inbred Strains of Mice,Mouse, Inbred Strain,Inbred Mouse Strain,Mouse Inbred Strain,Mouse Inbred Strains,Mouse Strain, Inbred,Mouse Strains, Inbred,Strain, Inbred Mouse,Strains, Inbred Mouse
D008819	Mice, Nude	Mutant mice homozygous for the recessive gene "nude" which fail to develop a thymus. They are useful in tumor studies and studies on immune responses.	Athymic Mice,Mice, Athymic,Nude Mice,Mouse, Athymic,Mouse, Nude,Athymic Mouse,Nude Mouse
D001786	Blood Glucose	Glucose in blood.	Blood Sugar,Glucose, Blood,Sugar, Blood
D003921	Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental	Diabetes mellitus induced experimentally by administration of various diabetogenic agents or by PANCREATECTOMY.	Alloxan Diabetes,Streptozocin Diabetes,Streptozotocin Diabetes,Experimental Diabetes Mellitus,Diabete, Streptozocin,Diabetes, Alloxan,Diabetes, Streptozocin,Diabetes, Streptozotocin,Streptozocin Diabete
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species
D013311	Streptozocin	An antibiotic that is produced by Stretomyces achromogenes. It is used as an antineoplastic agent and to induce diabetes in experimental animals.	Streptozotocin,2-Deoxy-2-((methylnitrosoamino)carbonyl)amino-D-glucose,Streptozotocine,Zanosar