<p>This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</p> <p>In this report, we have shown that the standard
laboratory diet administered to <italic>Psammomys obesus</italic> 
(sand rat) from Beni Abbes in Algeria, induced a
non-insulin dependant diabetes, characterised by
increase of body weight (p&lt;0.001) as well as
hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia.
In cultured aortic smooth muscle
cells (SMC) of sand rats, type I and type III collagen
biosynthesis and insulin effects, at low dose, on
these parameters were investigated. In all
experimental conditions of cultured SMC study, The
α chains of type I collagen were analysed by
immunoblotting in media and cells.</p> <p>Metabolic radiolabelling and Immunochemical
procedures revealed that, in diabetic state, synthetic
SMC (SMCs) actively produce type I and III
collagen which are synthesised in the cells and
secreted in the medium; type I collagen was
predominant as compared with type III collagen.
Diabetes enhanced the collagen synthesis. Low dose
of Insulin added to the medium, during 48h of
incubation, induced a marked reduction in the
synthesis of collagen types, especially type I
collagen.</p>
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Int J Exp Diabetes Res. 2001; 2(1):37-46