Prevention by whole pancreas transplantation of glomerular basement membrane thickening in alloxan diabetes.

Serial thickness measurements of the glomerular basement membrane were performed over a 24month period in four groups of inbred male Lewis rats. Group I consisted of nmmal animals age-matched to the remaining experimental groups. In groups II, II4 and IV, diabetes was induced by intravenous alloxan (42 to 44 mg/kg). Group II was subsequently untreated. One week after induction of diabetes, groups III and IV received vascularized isografs of the pancreas and duodenum or duct-ligated pancreas alone, respectively. Animals in all groups were killed monthly and x I I, 000 electron photomicrographs prepared of the kidney. The thickness of the glomerular basement membrane was measured b a quantitatiL*e morphometric technipe. Untreated diabetic animals developed significant thickening of the basement membrane when compared to normal animals and the dxerences remained siga this change was accelerated in the untreated diabetic group and normalized in the transplanted rats.