This study was conducted to compare the multiple low-dose streptozotocin (MLDS)-induced diabetic patterns of Korl:ICR, A:ICR, and B:ICR mice obtained from three different sources. Six-week-old male ICR mice were obtained from three difference sources. Korl:ICR mice were kindly provided by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS). The other two groups of ICR mice were purchased from different vendors located in the United States (A:ICR) and Japan (B:ICR). All ICR mice that received MLDS exhibited overt diabetic symptoms throughout the study, and the incidence and development of diabetes mellitus were similar among the three ICR groups. The diabetic mice exhibited hyperglycemia, loss of body weight gain, decreased plasma insulin levels, impaired glucose tolerance, decreased number of insulin-positive cells, and decreased size of β-cells in the pancreas. The diabetes symptoms increased as the blood glucose level increased in the three ICR groups. In particular, the level of blood glucose in the STZ-treated group was higher in Korl:ICR and A:ICR mice than in B:ICR mice. The plasma insulin levels, glucose tolerance, blood chemistry, and morphological appearance of the pancreas were very similar in the ICR groups obtained from the three different sources. In conclusion, our results suggest that Korl:ICR, A:ICR, and B:ICR mice from different sources had similar overall responses to multiple low-dose STZ to induce diabetes mellitus.
Keywords: Korl:ICR mice; diabetes mellitus; hyperglycemia; multiple low-dose streptozotocin.