Comparative subacute effects of dietary raw soya flour on the pancreas of three species, the marmoset, mouse and rat.

Subacute changes induced in the pancreas by raw soya flour have been studied in three species. The raw soya flour was fed to male Sprague-Dawley rats and male CD-1 mice for 2, 4 or 8 days at a level of 50% (w/w) in the diet, and to male and female marmosets for 2 or 7 days at 20% (w/w) in the diet. The stathmokinetic method was used to study mitotic activity in the pancreas, and mean acinar cell area was calculated using an image analysis system. The relative weight of the pancreas in the rat and mouse increased during dosing, but that of the marmoset did not. No proliferative or trophic effects were observed in marmoset pancreas, but in both the mouse and rat a transient increase in mitotic activity was followed by a steady increase in acinar cell size.