Increased body fat in streptozotocin diabetic rats treated with intensive subcutaneous insulin therapy vs. islet transplantation.

The continued development of novel insulin treatment is predicated on the hypothesis that strict glycemic control is necessary to prevent the secondary complications of diabetes. Although dramatically successful in reducing selected secondary complications, intensive insulin therapy has consequences. These include hypoglycemia, weight gain, and body fat accumulation.

Pancreatic islet transplantation improves body composition, decreases energy intake and normalizes energy efficiency in previously diabetic female rats.

We investigated the weight gain, body composition, and feed efficiency of female Wistar Furth rats (170 +/- 1 g) made diabetic with streptozotocin (55 mg/kg intravenously), then infused intraportally with 3519 +/- 838 (150 mu equivalent units) syngeneic pancreatic islets of Langerhans. After islet transplants (5-6 wk), nutritional energetics were evaluated in transplanted rats (Transplant), and also in 3- and 9-wk diabetic (Diab-3, 9) and control rats treated with sham infusions and similar surgical manipulations (Sham-3, 9). Diabetic rats demonstrated marked hyperphagia, which was corrected by islet transplantation (577 +/- 53 vs.