Streptozotocin diabetes in the minipig constitutes an outstanding model for the study of diabetic angiopathies. Changes which are classified as macroangiopathy are evident after 6 months, while the first changes indicative of microangiopathy appear already after about 18 months. The degree of pronouncement of the microangiopathy depends on the duration and severity of the induced diabetes. These results constitute a cogent argument in favour of the "metabolic theory" of the development of diabetic microangiopathy.