Comparison of therapeutic regimens in the amelioration of alterations in rat gastrointestinal mucosal DNA, RNA and protein induced by streptozotocin diabetes mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulinopenia, and secondary neural renal and vascular complications. Clinical manifestati ons in the gastrointestinal tract range from initial mild complications to more severe complications as the disease progresses, but as of yet, are poo rly understood. The current study has two main foci 1) to monitor the alter ations in gastrointestinal DNA, RNA and protein content induced by streptoz otocin diabetes and 2) to use these parameters to monitor the efficacy of i ntensive insulin treatment versus pancreatic islet transplantation in the a melioration of the diabetes induced alterations. Female Wistar Furth rats w ere rendered diabetic by streptozotocin injection and measured for alterati ons in gastrointestinal DNA, RNA and protein content. Similarly, animals wh ich had streptozotocin-induced diabetes were also treated by intensive insu lin therapy or pancreatic islet transplant and monitored for alterations in gastrointestinal DNA, RNA and protein content. In general, diabetes induce d increases in stomach, duodenal, jejunal and colonic macromolecular conten t. With few exceptions, treatment with either intensive insulin or pancreat ic islet transplantation returned each variable measured back to control le vels. In every case, pancreatic islet transplantation was comparable to int ensive insulin therapy. In the short term the treatments are comparable, bu t long term analyses are needed to determine if the treatments offer any di fference in their ability to prevent the long term complications related to diabetes mellitus.