Influence of estradiol benzoate on the pituitary-pancreatic axis of alloxan-diabetic male rats

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1970

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Abstract

Studies were undertaken to determine the cause of the apparent beneficial effects of estrogen in experimental diabetes by concentrating on the site and/or mode of action of the steroid hormone in alloxandiabetic rats. Ad libitum and pair-fed normal, alloxan-diabetic, and hypophysectomized male rats received daily subcutaneous injections of 17B-estradiol benzoate (EB) for 10 days. In normal rats, EB modified anterior pituitary and adrenal gland function, decreased plasma glucose, increased plasma IRI, GH, and corticosteroid levels, increased pancreatic beta cell granulation, and enhanced the glucose stimulation of insulin release. In alloxan-diabetic rats, EB modified anterior pituitary and adrenal gland function, decreased urinary glucose excretion, increased plasma GH and corticosteroid levels, and slightly enlarged the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. EB decreased plasma glucose, increased plasma IRI, and slightly enlarged the pancreatic islets of Langerhans of hypophysectomized rats. These results suggest that estrogen may exert its beneficial "curative" effects in experimental diabetes by an action on the pancreas.

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