Abstract:
The causes for the occasional resistance to the diabetogenic effect of alloxan in experimental diabetes of albino rats have been investigated. Studies made on rats receiving repeated diabetogenic dose of alloxan from the beginning and on rats which had received several sub-diabetogenic doses (for 4 days) followed by repeated diabetogenic dose of alloxan have shown that failure of an effective diabetogenic dose or sub-diabetogenic doses of alloxan may produce tolerance in rats to alloxan, which can be overcome on increasing the number of injections of alloxan in animals made to fast for a prolonged period. It has been also noticed that high blood glutathione level and generalized liver damage are two significant features associated with alloxan resistance in rats. Though in resistant animals the β-cells of the islands of Langerhans are damaged like those of diabetic animals, no loss of body weight, hyperglycemia or persistent glycosuria is observed. Absence of hyperglycemia in spite of β-cells damage has been correlated to generalized liver damage, and it is suggested that increase in the blood glutathione level may be responsible for the phenomenon of alloxan
resistance.
