Aging in men and rodents is associated with a marked decline in glucose stimulated insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells (B cells). Secreted insulin is the end result of a series of steps along the biosynthetic protein-secretion pathway, including insulin gene transcription, processing of transcripts to preproinsulin mRNA, translation of mRNA, segregation and processing of newly made proin...

the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of gender on the distribution of pancreatic islets in native chicken. ten adult male and ten adult female isfahan native chickens were used in this experiment. results showed a distinct sexual dimorphism in the native chicken pancreas which depends upon the various fractions of the pancreatic lobes, which were occupied by alpha, beta an...

BACKGROUND Islet transplantation has the potential for treating type I diabetes; however, its widespread clinical application is limited by the massive apoptotic cell death and poor revascularization of transplanted islet grafts. METHODS We constructed a surface-modified adenoviral vector with RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequences encoding human X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis and hepatocyte growth fac...

Taurine (TAU) supplementation increases insulin secretion in response to high glucose concentrations in rodent islets. This effect is probably due to an increase in Ca2+ handling by the islet cells. Here, we investigated the possible involvement of the cholinergic/phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase (PK) A pathways in this process. Adult mice were fed with 2% TAU in drinking water for 30 d...

We examined the effects of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibition by wortmannin or LY294002 on glucose-induced secretion from mouse islets. Islets were collagenase isolated and perifused or subjected to Western blot analyses and probed for insulin receptor-signaling components. In agreement with previous studies, mouse islets, when compared with rat islets, were minimally responsive to...

Pancreatic islet transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes. However, viability and functionality of the islets after transplantation are limited due to loss of integrity and destruction of blood vessel networks. Thus, it is important to provide a proper mechanically and biologically supportive environment for enhancing both in vitro islet culture and transplantation efficienc...