Effects of acarbose on the development of diabetes in BB/Wor rats

This study was designed to determine whether the addition of acarbose (a dissacharidase inhibitor) to the diet can prevent or delay the development of diabetes in the BB/Wor rat. Acarbose reduces postprandial glucose and insulin levels in normal and diabetic rats by delaying the absorption of carbohydrates. Data by others suggested that reduced activity of beta cells renders them less prone to immunological attack. It was speculated that feeding acarbose to diabetes susceptible BB/Wor rats may similarly reduce islet immunogenicity by reducing the burden on the beta cells, and decrease the incidence of disease. Acarbose was added to regular chow and chow containing 15% sucrose. The rationale for using chow containing sucrose was to increase the effectiveness of acarbose, since sucrose is one of the primary carbohydrates whose digestion is blocked by acarbose. Diabetes-prone BB/Wor rats were fed either regular chow (A;N = 30), regular chow plus acarbose at 40 mg/100 g chow (B;N = 30), 15% sucrose-containing chow (C;N = 30), or 15% sucrose-containing chow plus acarbose (D;N = 30). Oral chow tolerance tests, performed using 500 mg of chow, confirmed a reduction in plasma glucose and insulin values in acarbose-fed animals. The mean incidence of diabetes in groups A through D was 87%, 73%, 87%, and 93%, respectively (not significant). The mean (+/- SEM) ages (days) of onset of diabetes in animals fed diets A through D were 88 +/- 2.1, 90 +/- 3.2, 86 +/- 1.9, and 91 +/- 2.6, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)