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Idiopathic megacolon in the BB rat
C J Meehan1, S Fleming, W Smith
1University Department of Pathology, Southampton University Hospital, UK.
International Journal of Experimental Pathology
|February 1, 1994
Summary
Idiopathic megacolon in diabetic BB rats is not caused by diabetes. This study found higher megacolon incidence in non-diabetic rats, linked to inflammation and nerve damage in the bowel wall.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
- Pathology
Background:
- Idiopathic megacolon in spontaneously diabetic BB rats was previously attributed to diabetes-related metabolic issues.
- The BB rat model is crucial for studying autoimmune diabetes and its complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and distribution of idiopathic megacolon in diabetic and non-diabetic BB rats.
- To determine the pathological basis of idiopathic megacolon in this model.
Main Methods:
- A prospective necropsy study was conducted on a BB rat colony.
- Incidence of megacolon was compared between diabetic and non-diabetic rats across diabetes-prone and diabetes-resistant sublines.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher incidence of megacolon was observed in non-diabetic rats of the diabetes-prone subline compared to diabetic rats.
- Non-diabetic rats in the diabetes-prone subline also showed a higher incidence than non-diabetic rats in the diabetes-resistant subline.
- Affected rats exhibited inflammatory infiltrates in the large bowel wall, with destruction of autonomic ganglia and muscularis propria.
Conclusions:
- The findings challenge the assumption that idiopathic megacolon in BB rats is a direct consequence of diabetes-induced metabolic decompensation.
- Pathological evidence points to an inflammatory process affecting the bowel wall, independent of hyperglycemia, as the cause of megacolon.