THE EFFECTS OF STEROIDS ON THE INCIDENCE OF DIABETES IN RATS AFTER SUBTOTAL PANCREATECTOMY

Abstract

The effects of several steroids (injd. daily during 6 mos.) on the incidence and severity of diabetes in rats after removal of 95% of the pancreas were studied and the following results were obtained The incidence of diabetes decreased in castrated females treated with the following estrogens: estrone, estradiol, stilbestrol, dienestrol, ethynil-estradiol and ethynil- testosterone. In castrated males estrone and stilbestrol decreased the incidence of diabetes. The effect of other substances was not examined. Testosterone and methyl-testosterone increased the incidence and severity of diabetes in castrated females. Testosterone had the same effect in castrated males. The incidence of diabetes was not modified by treatment with equilenine, progesterone, desoxycorticosterone and 17-beta-ethyl-dihydro-testosterone. Cholesterol, although it had no estrogenic effect, also produced a slignt but definite decrease in the incidence of diabetes. In summary, the substances with estrogenic action decreased the incidence of diabetes which followed subtotal pancreatectomy in the rat, and, on the contrary, the androgenic ones increased it.