NITRIC-OXIDE AND PANCREATIC BETA-CELL DESTRUCTION IN INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS - DONT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER

A major surge of interest has recently focused upon nitric oxide (NO) as a mediator of autoimmune destruction of beta-cells in insulin-depen dent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). It has been proposed that insulin produ cing cells in response to cytokines are induced to produce self destru cting amounts of NO, and that endothelial cells or islet infiltrating macrophages may induce beta-cell death by releasing cytotoxic levels o f NO within the islet. Recent findings in this field are presently dis cussed and we conclude that although NO might have a role in rodent ID DM, any putative role of NO in the pathogenesis of human IDDM remains to be clarified.