The enzymatic dissociation of acinar tissue by collagenase is a substantial step in the isolation of pancreatic islets. Although essential collagenase components have been purified, the variability in the activity of different batches limits long-term reproducibility of isolation success. The utilization of purified recombinant proteases would solve this problem. In the present study, pancrease...

BACKGROUND A critical component of treating type I diabetes by transplantation is the availability of sufficient high-quality islets. Currently, islets can be obtained only by reliance on an expensive, inconsistent, and toxic enzyme digestion process. As an alternative, we hypothesize that cryobiologic techniques can be used for differential freeze destruction of the pancreas to release islets ...

We have previously shown that isolated islets embedded in type 1 collagen gel in the presence of a defined medium undergo transdifferentiation within 96 h to duct epithelial structures. The aim of this study was to identify the factors implicated in this process. Freshly isolated canine islets were embedded in type 1 collagen gel, Matrigel or agarose for up to 120 h and cultured in (i) Dulbecco...

We have previously shown that co-transplantation of islets and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) improves islet graft function and revascularisation, which was associated with the maintenance of normal islet morphology. The aim of the current study was to determine whether maintaining islet morphology in the absence of additional islet-helper cells would improve transplantation outcome in diabetic ...

The demand for high-quality islets for transplantation in type I diabetics will increase as the current clinical trials transition into standard of care. The mode of preservation of donor pancreata is critical to this mission since islets are very sensitive to ischemic injury. Hypothermic perfusion preservation (HPP) is being investigated for extended pancreas preservation in light of the benef...

Ca]i and electrical activity were compared in isolated b-cells and islets using standard techniques. In islets, raising glucose caused a decrease in [Ca]i followed by a plateau and then fast (2 3 min ), slow (0.2–0.8 min ), or a mixture of fast and slow [Ca]i oscillations. In b-cells, glucose transiently decreased and then increased [Ca ]i, but no islet-like oscillations occurred. Simultaneous ...

[Ca(2+)](i) and electrical activity were compared in isolated beta-cells and islets using standard techniques. In islets, raising glucose caused a decrease in [Ca(2+)](i) followed by a plateau and then fast (2-3 min(-1)), slow (0.2-0.8 min(-1)), or a mixture of fast and slow [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations. In beta-cells, glucose transiently decreased and then increased [Ca(2+)](i), but no islet-like ...

in an effort to evaluate the hypoglycemic activity of t. polium, the crude extract was administered orally to a group of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats for 6 consecutive weeks. significant decrease in blood glucose by 64%, total bilirubin by 35%, glutamate oxaloacetate transferase by 48% and glutamate pyruvate transferase by 30% was observed compared to untreated diabetic rats. however, t...

The effect of synthetic rat C-peptide on glucose-induced insulin release was studied in isolated islets of rat pancreas. Addition of rat C-peptide II to the medium inhibited glucose-induced insulin release from islets by 30 to 40 percent. Rat C-peptide I, human connecting peptide and bovine, porcine and canine C-peptides had no significant effects on insulin release from islets of rat pancreas.

Objective(s): The use of a co-culture of islets with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a promising therapy in islet transplantation to revert hyperglycaemia, but the resulting insulin-producing cells (IPCs) express low levels of pancreas endocrine developmental genes. This study aims to investigate the morphochronology of a co-culture of islets with MSCs from injured adult pancreata, and char...