[The effect of long-term glibenclamide administration on pancreatic beta cells and on autoimmunity indices]

It was found that administration of glybenclamide in the therapeutic dose to rats exerts the damaging effect on insulin-producing apparatus of the pancreas (inhibition of the secretory reaction of beta-cells, disturbance of their morphological structure, decrease of glucose tolerance test), initiates the development of lymphocellular infiltration of islands (autoimmune insulitis), increases the level of antibodies to blood serum DNA. The inverse temporal dependence between the appearance and degree of diabetogenic effects of chronic sulfanylamide therapy and changes in autoimmunity (the latters are characteristic of earlier treatment with the drug) can be traced.