Comparison of therapeutic regimens in the amelioration of alterations in rat gastrointestinal mucosal DNA, RNA and protein induced by streptozotocin diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulinopenia, and secondary neural, renal and vascular complications. Clinical manifestations in the gastrointestinal tract range from initial mild complications to more severe complications as the disease progresses, but as of yet, are poorly understood. The current study has two main foci 1) to monitor the alterations in gastrointestinal DNA, RNA and protein content induced by streptozotocin diabetes and 2) to use these parameters to monitor the efficacy of intensive insulin treatment versus pancreatic islet transplantation in the amelioration of the diabetes induced alterations. Female Wistar Furth rats were rendered diabetic by streptozotocin injection and measured for alterations in gastrointestinal DNA, RNA and protein content. Similarly, animals which had streptozotocin-induced diabetes were also treated by intensive insulin therapy or pancreatic islet transplant and monitored for alterations in gastrointestinal DNA, RNA and protein content. In general, diabetes induced increases in stomach, duodenal, jejunal and colonic macromolecular content. With few exceptions, treatment with either intensive insulin or pancreatic islet transplantation returned each variable measured back to control levels. In every case, pancreatic islet transplantation was comparable to intensive insulin therapy. In the short term the treatments are comparable, but long term analyses are needed to determine if the treatments offer any difference in their ability to prevent the long term complications related to diabetes mellitus.