WBN

Inbr. F?+13 (1985).

Colour: Albino

Genet. c.

Origin: Wistar rats from the Institute of Experimental Gerontology, Basel brother x sister mated in the Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn since 1961. To the Instuitute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo in 1976, then to Shizuoka Laboratory Animals Center where they were hysterectomy-derived.

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Characteristics

Aged rats develop a diabetic syndrome characterised by impared glucose tolerance as early as 21 weeks of age, followed later by glycosurea, hyperlipidaemia and gradual emaciation. There is multifiocal fibrosis and a decrease in the number of islets and atrophy of the exocrine tissue of the pancreas in diabetic animals. The syndrome is characterised as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus type II, though the histological lesions of the pancreas were somewhat different from previous reports of both type I and type II diabetes mellitus in man and abnimals (Tsuchitani et al 1985, Nakima et al 1985). The strain also develops demyelinating, predominantly motor neuropathy, later accompanied by axonal changes which are unique to this strain. The mechanism of the early demyelination is not known (Yagihashi et al 1993).

WC/Ztm Reserved symbol

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Nakima K., Schichiohe K., Kobayashi K., Naito K., Uchida O., Yasuhara K., and Tobe M. (1985) Spontaneous diabetes-like syndrome in WBN/Kob rats. Acta diabetol. lat. 22, 335-342.

Tsuchitani M., Saegusa T., Narama I., Nishikawa T., and Gonda T. (1985) A new diabetic strain of the rat (WBN/Kob). Lab. Anim. 19, 200-207.

Yagihashi S., Wada R., Kamijo M., and Nagai K. (1993) Peripheral neuropathy in the WBN/Kob rat with chronic-pancreatitis and spontaneous diabetes. Lab. Invest. 68, 296-307.

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INBRED STRAINS OF RATS
Updated 9 Apr. 1998
Michael FW Festing
MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building,
University of Leicester, UK