Immune Reactions to Fractions of Crystallized Insulin - III. Relation Between Glucose Tolerance, Purification of Insulin and Insulin Antibodies[*] [**]

Abstract

Mice have been immunized 3 times a week over 3 months with once crystallized or MC-insulin in different doses without adjuvant. 11 days after the last injection glucose tolerance tests were carried out. With once crystallized insulin a pathological glucose tolerance was seen more frequently and with much lower doses than with MC-insulin. No correlation has been found between insulin antibodies and pathological glucose tolerance. Mice immunologically tolerant to insulin nevertheless developed a pathological glucose tolerance. Two hypotheses are being discussed to explain these findings; the responsible antigen may be cross-reacting with insulin or structurally unrelated to insulin although it is of pancreatic origin.

Key words

Immunization - Insulin Antibodies - Immunological Tolerance - Glucose Tolerance - Insulitis - Crystallized Insulin - Chromatographed Insulin - Monocomponent Insulin - Fractions of Insulin

1 Part of this work has been presented at the 8th Congress of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Madrid 1972.

1 Part of this work has been presented at the 8th Congress of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Madrid 1972.

2 Supported by the Landesamt für Forschung, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Western Germany.