Dithisone diabetes in rabbits and its prevention by sulfhydryl and imidazole containing compounds

Diabetogenic action of dithisone was investigated in a total of 368 adult rabbits and 53 young animals between 10 h and 31 days of age. The diabetes was found in 95% of animals injected with dithisone and various forms of this disease were observed: 1. long-term diabetes without any signs of normalization of glycemia; 2. diabetes with periodical remissions; 3. several cases with a definite remission. The diabetes did not appear in young animals during certain periods of life in which the concentration of zinc in pancreatic islets was very low. It was possible to prevent the development of this disease by the administration of some compounds containing sulfhydryl or imidazole groups (cysteine, SH-glutathione, dimercaptopropanol (BAL), unithiol (sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropansulfonate), (histidine) and the diabetes also did not appear in such animals in which a majority of zinc was removed by glybenclamide. From these observations it was concluded that the development of diabetes after dithisone depends on the formation of dithisone complex with zinc in beta-cells.