Figure 2.

Chronic alcohol and high fat diet induced insulin cell proliferation and decreased glucose tolerance. A: Micrograph of insulin immunoreactivity in pancreas from a control rat fed regular chow; B: Micrograph of insulin immunoreactivity in pancreas from a rat fed alcohol and high fat (AHF). In tissue samples from AHF fed rats insulin producing cells in the islets are atrophied and an increase of spurious proliferating insulin expressing cells (arrows) is detected in the pancreas; C: Quantification of the number of single cells or small insulin cell clusters per mm² pancreas tissue detected a significant increase in AHF fed rats; D: Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test at 10 wk determined that glucose tolerance was reduced in fasted AHF fed animals. Blood glucose levels of AHF fed animals peaked to significantly higher levels 15 and 30 min post injection. ^aP < 0.05, AHF vs control. A-B: Scalebar 100 μm.