Abstract
Summary
A specific immunochemical assay was used to measure extractable insulin from the pancreas of normal rats, alloxandiabetic rats, and rats made diabetic with sodium fluoroacetate (SFA). Rat insulin proved immunologically different from crystalline beef insulin, suggesting a significant chemical difference between these insulins. Pancreatic insulin content was decreased or absent in alloxan-treated diabetic rats, but appeared to be increased in rats with SFA diabetes, compared with normal controls. These findings demonstrate that the diabetes produced by SFA is not due to an alloxanlike action on beta cells resulting in insulin deficiency, but is secondary to a peripheral block in glucose utilization.
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