Alterations of endocrine pancreas B cells in a sahelian reptile (Varanus exanthematicus) during starvation.

During the long starvation period (November to June) of the lizard (Varanus exanthematicus), pancreatic B cells undergo profound modification. The degeneration of beta granules observed in electron microscopy appears correlated with the diminution of the immunoreactive insulin-like content of the pancreas. The analogy between the phenomena observed here and those reported in animals treated with alloxan is discussed.