POLYARTERITIS NODOSA-LIKE INFLAMMATORY VASCULAR CHANGES IN THE PANCREAS AND MESENTERY OF RATS TREATED WITH STREPTOZOTOCIN AND NICOTINAMIDE

Pancreatic endocrine rumours and inflammatory vascular changes resembl ing those of human polyarteritis nodosa occurred simultaneously in mal e Holtzman rats after a single injection of streptozotocin and two inj ections of nicotinamide. The histomorphological appearance of the arte rioles resembled that seen in vascular diseases of immunopathogenetic origin. The proximity of the vascular lesions to the hormone-producing tumour suggested that the tumour-related hormone production induced t he development of the panarteritis. Streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induce d vasculitis in rats was histo logically similar to human polyarteriti s nodosa. It may therefore provide a good animal model for the human d isease. (C) 1997 W.B. Saunders Company Limited.