Laboratory Animals > Volume 43, Number 3 > Pp. 249-254

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Original Articles

Effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in domestic pigs with focus on the amino acid metabolism

M Jensen-Waern ¹ , M Andersson ¹, R Kruse ¹, B Nilsson ², R Larsson ², O Korsgren ² and B Essén-Gustavsson ¹

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, Section for Comparative Physiology and Medicine, SLU, PO Box 7054, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden; ² Section for Clinical Immunology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Corresponding author: Marianne Jensen-Waern. Email: Marianne.Jensen-Waern{at}kv.slu.se

Streptozotocin (STZ) given intravenously destroys pancreatic beta cells and is widely used in animal models to mimic type 1 diabetes. The effects of STZ on the clinical state of health and metabolism were studied in six high health certified domestic pigs weighing 19 ± 1.3 kg at the start of the experiment. A single STZ dose of 150 mg/kg of body weight successfully induced hyperglycaemia and alterations in amino acid metabolism. Within 9 h after STZ administration, the blood glucose values fell from 5.4–7.5 mmol/L to 0.8–2.2 mmol/L. Hypoglycaemia was treated with 0.5 g glucose/kg body weight. In all pigs, hyperglycaemia was produced 24 h after STZ treatment, and 3 days after STZ injection, the glucose concentration was >25 mmol/L. Mean C-peptide concentration was 0.25 ± 0.16 µg/L since 2 days after STZ injection until the end of the study. The serum concentration of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) increased four-fold, and alanine and taurine decreased by approximately 70% and 50%, respectively, after STZ treatment. All but one pig remained brisk and the physical examination was normal except for a retarded growth rate and a reduction of the skeletal muscle. At the end of the study, the pigs were moderately emaciated. Postmortem examination confirmed muscle wasting and a reduction of abdominal and subcutaneous fat. In conclusion, STZ-induced diabetes in pigs fulfils the requirements for a good animal model for type 1 diabetes with respect to clinical signs of the disease and alterations in the carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism.

Key Words: Swine • hyperglycaemia • muscle • alanine • branched-chain amino acids

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