Abstract
The relationship between the severity of diabetes mellitus and pancreatic exocrine dysfunction was studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Diabetic rats with different severity were made by intravenous injection of three different doses of streptozotocin; 30, 45, or 60mg/kg. Control rats were injected with only citrate buffer. On the 7th day, oral glucose tolerance test was performed after 16-18h fast. Plasma glucose levels were elevated, while insulin response were reduced depending upon the injected dose of streptozotocin. After 12 days, the diabetic animals were used for the experiment. Body and pancreas weight were decreased in diabetics compared with control rats, whereas pancreas weight per body weight was similar in four groups. Insulin content in the pancreas was decreased significantly in diabetic animals in proportion to the injected dose of streptozotocin. Amylase content in the pancreas from the diabetic rats was similarly decreased, while amylase per insulin ratio was not different in all groups. Therefore, the decrease in pancreatic amylase content of diabetes was closely related to the severity of diabetes mellitus.
