Preventive effect of diethyldithiocarbamate on experimental diabetes produced by dithisone and 8-oxychinoline.

Diethyldithiocarbamate sodium (DDC)--a compound forming complexes with metal ions-did not change the structure of endocrine pancreas and did not affect the glycemia after the repeated administration of a dose of 250 mg kg-1 while a single dose of 500 or 1000 mg kg-1 increased the glycemia for 2 to 4 h in most of rabbits tested. DDC injected in similar doses prevented a diabetogenic action of dithisone and of a number of 8-oxichinoline derivatives. This effect appeared very rapidly and persisted for several hours being dependent on a dose of DDC and on the interval between its administration and the injection of diabetogenic compounds. It was concluded that DDC forms stable complexes with zinc ions in pancreatic beta-cells which appear to be resistant towards the action of diabetogenic compounds directed selectively to the blocking of zinc ions too and thus to the development of experimental diabetes.