Effect of Alloxan on Malic Dehydrogenase Activity of Microdissected Mammalian Pancreatic Islets.

Abstract
Summary Malic dehydrogenase activity was determined in the microdissected islets obtained from normal and alloxanized rats. There was no change in the enzyme activity up to 12 hours after alloxan administration. At 24 hours after alloxan, enzyme activity was decreased to about half the value found in the normal; at 72 hours it was decreased to one-third. By contrast, enzyme activity in the acinar tissue was not changed at these time periods, but was significantly decreased at 168 hours after alloxan administration. The malic dehydrogenase activity in the islet is about 3 times greater than that in the acinar pancreas; enzyme activity of the beta cell appears to be considerably greater than that in the alpha cell.