ACCELERATED GASTRIC-EMPTYING IN DIABETIC RODENTS - EFFECT OF INSULIN-TREATMENT AND PANCREAS TRANSPLANTATION

Gastric emptying of a suspended solid, digestible meal was examined af ter 30 to 90 days of diabetes in two strains of streptozotocin-treated rodents and in genetically diabetic BB/W,, rats. After a 14-hour over night fast the animals were gavage-fed 1.0 gm of rat food suspended in water and were killed 30 minutes later. Ligatures were placed around the lower esophageal sphincter and the pylorus and the stomachs were r emoved intact. The stomachs were evacuated and the gastric contents an d gastric remnant were separately dried and weighed. Both the streptoz otocin-treated and BB/W-or rats showed significantly accelerated (1.5- to 2.2-fold) rates of gastric emptying of the meal compared with resp ective nondiabetic control animals. Straptozotocin-treated diabetic an imals that received daily insulin supplementation or those that had un dergone pancreas transplantation shortly after induction of diabetes s howed a similar reduction in blood glucose levels and normal rates of gastric emptying. Diabetes had a significant but variable effect on ga stric mass and body weight. This response was dependent on the strain of animal examined, whether or not insulin supplementation was adminis tered, or whether the animal underwent pancreas transplantation. These observations indicate that early diabetes in rodents has a prokinetic effect on gastric emptying of a suspended solid digestible meal. Rest oration of euglycemia by insulin treatment or pancreas transplantation is associated with return of the gastric emptying rate to normal. The se changes in gastric emptying appear to be independent of the effects of diabetes on gastric mass.