PANCREATIC-ISLET TRANSPLANTATION IMPROVES BODY-COMPOSITION, DECREASESENERGY-INTAKE AND NORMALIZES ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN PREVIOUSLY DIABETICFEMALE RATS

We investigated the weight gain, body composition, and feed efficiency of female Wistar Furth rats (170 +/- 1 g) made diabetic with streptoz otocin (55 mg/kg intravenously), then infused intraportally with 3519 +/- 838 (150 mu equivalent units) syngeneic pancreatic islets of Lange rhans. After islet transplants (5-6 wk), nutritional energetics were e valuated in transplanted rats (Transplant), and also in 3- and 9-wk di abetic (Diab-3, 9) and control rats treated with sham infusions and si milar surgical manipulations (Sham-3, 9), Diabetic rats demonstrated m arked hyperphagia, which was corrected by islet transplantation (577 /- 53 vs. 266 +/- 19 kJ/d; P < 0.0001) and was not different than sham control rats (285 +/- 24 kJ/d; P > 0.05), Three weeks of diabetes res ulted in a lower protein (Diab-3, 24.8 +/- 2.6 g vs. Sham-3, 30.9 +/- 1.0 g) and fat content (1.9 +/- 0.8 g vs. 11.6 +/- 1.7 g) in the rats' carcasses. However, 6 wk after islet transplantation, rats receiving islets (Transplant) were not different than control rats (Sham-9) (31. 9 +/- 1.7 g vs. 33.3 +/- 1.9 g protein and 15.4 +/- 3.0 g vs, 15.1 +/- 3.2 g fat). Three weeks of diabetes resulted in a lesser energy effic iency compared with Sham rats (2.7 +/- 2.0 vs. 7.1 +/- 1.9 kJ gained/1 00 kJ ingested); islet-transplanted rats were not different than Sham- 9 rats (4.9 +/- 2.3 vs. 4.7 +/- 1.4 kJ gained/100 kJ ingested). These data illustrate that islet transplantation in previously diabetic fema le rats improves growth with proportional gains in body protein and fa t mass. This is modulated in part by a reduced food intake and an ener gy efficiency that is improved relative to controls. These studies off er an optimistic outlook for the continued development of more physiol ogical insulin delivery strategies that preclude the nutritional compl ications associated with exogenous insulin administration.