Eventhough the beta cells are destroyed by streptozotocin at 2-day-old neonatal rats, there is active regeneration of Langerhans islets and beta cells after early injury.
However, the capacity of normalization of injured cells and islets are limited.
The partial defect of the islet beta cells resulted in hyperglycemia in neonatal STZ-induced rats (Bonnier-Weir et al., 1981; Weir et al., 1981).