Insulin homeostasis and pancreatic morphology in TgCEL and control mice.

<p>Controls, white bars or open circles; TgCEL mice, black bars or filled circles. Results are given as mean ± SEM. Insulin was measured by ELISA. An insulin tolerance test was performed by i.p. injection of insulin (1.5 [males] or 1.0 [females] U/kg b.wt.) in 12 months old male (A) and female (B) mice. No differences were detected between the TgCEL and control mice. For 7 months old chow-fed mice, there were no statistical differences in fed or fasting plasma insulin levels in male (C) or (D) female mice. Similarly, we observed no differences in stimulated plasma insulin levels in female mice as demonstrated by a glucose-stimulated insulin secretion test by actual insulin values (E) or by percent change after glucose injection (F). Islet size and number as well as the organization of the exocrine pancreatic tissue were normal in HE-stained sections from TgCEL mice (G) and not different from controls (H) at 8 months of age.