Streptozotocin-induced experimental diabetes in male Wistar rats

The aim of the present work was to test the sensitivity of young male Wistar rats, Dobrá Voda (Dv:WI) to the diabetogenic effect of streptozotocin (STZ) with regard to their health condition and mortality rates. Eight-week-old rats, weighing from 200 to 230 g, were randomised into five groups of eight animals. Streptozotocin was administered by i.v. injection in doses of 40, 50, 60 and 70 mg/kg body weight. The animals were kept on a standard diet with free access to water for 4 months. The highest STZ dose (70 mg/kg) was lethal to the animals, the doses of 50 and 60 mg/kg induced persistent hyperglycaemia with glucose levels above 20 mM. Body weights of STZ treated rats from all experimental groups were significantly lower than those of control animals. Considerable polyuria was observed in all STZ treated rats. About 40% of the STZ treated animals were found to develop overt cataract between days 90 and 100. At the end of the experiment, significant albuminuria was observed in the experimental groups administered 50 and 60 mg/kg STZ doses. We conclude that young male Wistar rats, Breeding Facility Dobrá Voda (Dv:WI), Slovakia, treated by a single i.v. STZ dose of 50 or 60 mg/kg developed a persistent disease state characterised by severe hyperglycaemia with major clinical signs of diabetes mellitus.