Abstract
Fusidic acid and its sodium salt (fusidin) are anti-staphylococcal drugs. In vitro studies have shown that they prevent the lymphocyte co-stimulatory activities of the cytokines IL-1 and IL-6 in a manner similar to that of cyclosporin A, and prevent the inhibitory effect of IL-1 on glucose-induced insulin production. As IL-1 and IL-6 are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes, the aim of this study was to investigate whether fusidin could influence the disease incidence of the spontaneously diabetic BB rat model. Accordingly, a group of 50 BB rats receiving fusidin dissolved in their drinking water were compared to a control group of 55 rats over a period of 200 days. The incidence of diabetes was found to be 52% in the experimental group and 71% in the control group (P < 0.05). The degree of insulitis and the number of islets at histological examination were similar among the non-diabetic animals whereas the diabetic fusidin-treated animals showed a higher degree of islet preservation than the diabetic control rats. The results are highly indicative of an anti-diabetogenic effect of fusidin.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 101-4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Autoimmunity |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1992 |
Keywords
- Administration, Oral
- Animals
- Autoimmune Diseases/drug therapy
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/drug therapy
- Fusidic Acid/therapeutic use
- Glucose/antagonists & inhibitors
- Inflammation
- Insulin/biosynthesis
- Interleukin-1/antagonists & inhibitors
- Interleukin-6/antagonists & inhibitors
- Islets of Langerhans/drug effects
- Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects
- Rats
- Rats, Inbred BB