ABSTRACT
A mild and stable form of diabetes, resembling Type II human diabetes, is produced by a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ) in 2-day-old neonatal rats. A decrease in diabetes induction efficacy after substitution of glucose by other sugars supports the presence of a stereospecific membrane receptor or recognition site on the plasma membrane of the ß-cell, identified as probably being the glucose transporter GLUT2. Viral induction of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus allows for the identification of the role of environmental factors in the development of human diabetes. While the studies all report a dose dependency to the STZ effects, there is no agreement on the results of a particular dose. Involvement of Nitric Oxide has also been proposed as a possible mechanism for mediating the diabetogenic effects of STZ. The age of the animals has some influence on the severity of diabetes produced by a given dose of STZ.
