Nesidioblastosis associated with chronic experimental pancreatitis produced by a scorpion toxin, tityustoxin, in rats.

Tityustoxin (TsTx), the purified venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus, was injected intravenously (50 micrograms/kg) into rats, producing a typical picture of chronic pancreatitis after 20 days. Nesidioblastosis, a lesion characterized by hyperplasia of the islets of Langerhans, was also detected in a high percentage (40%) of animals. TsTx-induced pancreatitis may be a useful model for the study of nesidioblastosis in laboratory animals.