Pancreatic Pathology in Manganese-deficient Guinea Pigs

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Abstract
A high incidence of stillbirths and poor viability of neonatal guinea pigs has occurred in offspring born to females maintained throughout pregnancy with a diet deficient in manganese. At autopsy these animals were observed to have gross abnormalities of the pancreas. Guinea pigs, presumably less severely affected, which were continued with the manganese-deficient dietary regimen to young adult life, had previously been found to have diabetic-like responses to administered glucose. Former work also has demonstrated that supplementation of such young adult animals with dietary manganese for 2 months resulted in normal utilization of glucose. Histological examination of tissues from animals of these various groups forms the basis of the study. The most seriously defective newborn young killed for examination of tissues showed aplasia or marked hypoplasia of all cellular components of the pancreas. Where hypoplasia occurred, islet population was reduced but islet size was increased. Islets contained fewer and less intensely granulated beta cells when compared with pancreatic islets in the tissues of control newborn guinea pigs. Young adult manganese-deficient guinea pigs also had decreased numbers of pancreatic islets which were enlarged in size and contained less intensely granulated beta cells and increased numbers of alpha cells. Following dietary supplementation with manganese, increased numbers of islets were found to be present. These islets contained more beta cells which were more heavily granulated than those present in the islets of the pancreas of deficient guinea pigs.