Abstract
Summary
Alloxan administered to hooded rats in single subcutaneous injection in doses of 175 to 350 mg per kg of body weight regularly produced rapid selective necrosis of the islets of Langerhans and characteristic fluctuations of the blood sugar level. During the first 24 hours, irrespective of dosage, a blood sugar curve of typical form was obtained. Thereafter, following the higher doses of alloxan, the blood sugar rose rapidly to very high values and death occurred in a state resembling diabetic coma. With the lower doses employed the animals survived for periods up to several months with persistent diabetes. Histological alterations in the islets of Langerhans conformed to those described by previous investigators in white rats following alloxan. In addition, a great increase was observed in the activity of mitotic division in acinar cells of the pancreas during the first 24 hours after injection of alloxan.
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