Alloxan exerts its diabetogenic action when it is
administered parenterally: intravenously, intraperitoneally
or subcutaneously. The dose of alloxan required
for inducing diabetes depends on the animal species,
route of administration and nutritional status. Human
islets are considerably more resistant to alloxan than
those of the rat and mouse (Eizirik et al. 1994). The most
frequently used intravenous dose of this drug to induce
diabetes in rats is 65 mg/kg b.w. (Gruppuso et al. 1990,
Boylan et al. 1992). When alloxan is given intraperitonealy
or subcutaneously its effective dose must be 2-3
times higher. The intraperitoneal dose below 150 mg/kg
b.w. may be insufficient for inducing diabetes in the rat
(Katsumata et al. 1992, 1993). Fasted animals are more
susceptible to alloxan (Katsumata et al. 1992, Szkudelski
et al. 1998), whereas increased blood glucose provides
partial protection