Studies on the Offsprings of Guinea Pigs (F<SUB>1</SUB>-F<SUB>4</SUB>) with Steroid Diabetes Mellitus for Successive Generations

Abstract

The author induced steroid diabetes mellitus in guinea pigs by daily administration of 5-10 mg of hydrocortisone, and carried out the following experiments in order to investigate the effect of diabetes mellitus on posterity.First, male guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus of 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 days in duration, were mated with normal female guinea pigs. Biometric investigation was made on the Langerhans' islets of pancreas of two cases of each youngs, 90 days after birth, and also on those of 3 cases born of female guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus during the period of pregnancy (time following the 10th day after mating), 90 days, 120 days and 150 days after birth. Further, female and male guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus of over 35 days in duration were mated for four successive generations and the course of growth of 66 cases of F1-F4 guinea pigs was observed. Biometric investigation of pancreas and other organs of 19 of these cases was carried out and the following results were obtained.(1) When male guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus and normal female guinea pigs were mated, no changes were observed in the Langerhans' islets of all those born of guinea pigs with diabetes mellitus of 21, 22 and 23 days in duration, and also in one out of the two cases born of guinea pigs with the disease of 24 days in duration. A decrease in the number of β-cells of the Langerhans' islet by 9 to 10, a decrease in the size of β-cell by 4 to 5μ2 and a decrease in the area of the islet by 12-13 × 100μ2 were observed in one out of the two cases born of guinea pigs with 24 days' duration of diabetes mellitus and in all those born of guinea pigs with 25 and 26 days' duration.(2) No changes were observed in the mature youngs of female guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus during the period of pregnancy.(3) In the offsprings of male and female guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus for successive generations, there was a decrease in the number of β-cells, and in the areas of β-cell and Langerhans' islet, which grew smaller from generation to generation. That is, there was a decrease by 17 in the number of the cells, and 9μ2 and 26 × 100μ2 respectively in the areas of β-cell and Langerhans' islet, in each generation.(4) In the offsprings of male and female guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus for successive generations, there was a slight increase in the weight of adrenal glands, and the cortex became larger from geneneration to generation, which was found to be due mainly to the hypertrophy of zona fasciculata which became intensified with the progress of generation : The increase of zona fasciculata in each generation was 1-1.5 mm2.(5) In the offsprings of male and female guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus for successive generations, the percentage of acidophilic cells in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland had increased, while that of the neutrophilic cells had decreased, and these changes advanced with the progress of generation, from F1 to F2, F3, the increase being 4.5% in each generation and the decrease 7.1%. Also, the basophilic cells showed a slight tendency to increase. The cell area of each of these cells was slightly larger in F guinea pigs.(6) In the offsprings of male and female guinea pigs with steroid diabetes mellitus for successive generations, the follicles and follicular lumen in the thyroid glands had grown larger with the progress of generation, and the epithelial cells of follicles were small in most cases. The pancreatic acinous cells, liver cells, seminiferous tubuli in the testis, and renal glomeruli did not show significant difference from normal state.(7) The amount of subcutaneously injected hydrocortisone,