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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 1995; 103: 79-82
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1211399
Maturation and Growth, Vulnerability and Regeneration of Pancreatic Beta Cells

© J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Metallothionein: In Vitro Induction With Zinc and Streptozotocin in Pancreatic Islets of Mice

Patricia Ohly, Helga Gleichmann
  • Clinical Department, Diabetes-Research-Institute, at the Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Publikationsdatum:
15. Juli 2009 (online)

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Summary

Recently, this laboratory reported that the antioxidant metallothionein (MT) is constitutively expressed and significantly (p < 0.001) induced with zinc J in pancreatic islets in vivo. Therefore, our aim was to study, whether MT can also be induced in vitro. We found that incubation of islets with either zinc sulfate (Zn) or streptozotocin (STZ) resulted in significant (p < 0.001) dose-dependent MT induction. With Zn a maximal induction was obtained with 0.1 mM reaching an induction index of 6.9 in C57BL/6 mice; a significant induction was also obtained in CD-I mice. With sub-toxic concentrations of STZ (2 and 4 mM) a significant induction was obtained in C57BL/6 mice. Thus, our in vivo data have been confirmed in vitro. Current investigations aim to analyse, whether MT induction can protect islets against toxicity mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Key words

Metallothionein - Pancreatic islets - Zinc - Streptozotocin - Mice