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Transplantation of Pancreatic Islets Contained in Minimal Volume Microcapsules in Diabetic High Mammalians
Author(s) -
CALAFIORE RICCARDO,
BASTA GIUSEPPE,
LUCA GIOVANNI,
BOSELLI CARLO,
BUFALARI ANDREA,
BUFALARI ANTONELLO,
CASSARANI MARIA PAOLA,
GIUSTOZZI GIAN MARIO,
BRUNETTI PAOLO
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.tb08506.x
Subject(s) - islet , peritoneal cavity , transplantation , pancreatic islets , capsule , andrology , medicine , diabetes mellitus , chemistry , urology , endocrinology , biomedical engineering , biology , surgery , botany
To minimize technical problems relating to excessive size (600–800μ in diameter) of standard alginate microcapsules (CSM) for pancreatic islet graft immunoisolation, we have developed two novel minimal volume, chemically identical, capsule prototypes (MVC): 1) coherent microcapsules (CM), and 2) medium‐size microcapsules (300–400μ, MSM). CM, which envelop each individual islet within a thin alginate hydrogel cast, are prepared by emulsification, whereas MSM are made by atomizing the islet‐alginate suspension through a special microdroplet generator. Upon graft into diabetic rodents, CM have shown to immunoprotect both allo‐ and xenogeneic nondiscordant islets, and restored normoglycemia. In higher mammals, at sub‐therapeutic doses, CM fully immunoprotected islet allografts (pig→pig), but only temporarily xenografts (dog→pig). We then used MSM to immunoisolate canine islet allografts in the peritoneal cavity of dogs with spontaneous insulin‐dependent diabetes. Of three grafted dogs, two showed full remission of hyperglycemia with insulin withdrawal. MSM could represent an intermediate solution between CSM and CM for peritoneal immunoisolated islet transplants.