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Potential Application of Neonatal Porcine Islets as Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes: A Review
Author(s) -
RAYAT GINA R.,
RAJOTTE RAY V.,
KORBUTT GREGORY S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08502.x
Subject(s) - islet , transplantation , pancreas , pancreatic islets , insulin , type 1 diabetes , medicine , diabetes mellitus , in vitro , enteroendocrine cell , islet cell transplantation , endocrine system , endocrinology , biology , hormone , biochemistry
ABSTRACT: Islet transplantation has been shown to be a viable option for treating patients with type 1 diabetes. However, widespread clinical application of this treatment will necessitate an alternative source of insulin‐producing tissue. Porcine pancreata may be a potential source of islets since pigs are inexpensive, readily available, and exhibit morphological and physiological characteristics comparable to humans. Recently, we developed a simple, standardized procedure for isolating large composition. Following nine days of in vitro culture, tissue from one neonatal pig pancreas yielded approximately 50,000 islet cell aggregates, consisting of primarily epithelial cells (57%) and pancreatic endocrine cells (35%). In addition, neonatal porcine islets were responsive to glucose challenge in vitro and were capable of correcting hyperglycemia in alloxan‐induced diabetic nude mice. Although neonatal porcine islets constitute an attractive alternative source of insulin‐producing tissue for clinical transplantation, many aspects such as the immunological responses to these tissue and the latent period (2 to 8 weeks) between transplantation of these islets and the reversal of hyperglycemia need further investigation. This article discusses these issues and presents possible solutions to problems that may hinder the potential application of neonatal porcine islets for transplantation into patients with type 1 diabetes.