FATE OF INTRAPORTALLY TRANSPLANTED ISLETS IN DIABETIC RATS - MORPHOLOGIC AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY

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  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 92  (3) , 653-+
Abstract
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in the rat can be reversed by the transplantation of isogenic islets of langerhans from neonatal donors. The morphology of intraportally transplanted islets were studied with the aid of the immunoperoxidase staining technique to identify insulin-, glucagon-, somatostatin- and pancreatic polypeptide-containing cells at 24 h, 48 h, 1 wk, 2 wk, 4 wk, 39 wk and 65 wk after transplant. Embolized pancreatic tissue, composed of approximately 80% acini and 20% islets, is initially distributed throughout the liver mainly to terminal branches of the portal system. Endothelialization and organization occur rapidly with the smaller fragments and within the first 4 wk for larger thrombi. Exocrine pancreatic elements largely disappear as islet cells move into the hepatic lobules from the portal spaces. At 65 wk after transplant, all islet cell types can be identified within large complex islet structures. This study establishes the survival and continued function of all known rat pancreatic islet cell types long after transplantation and supports the theory that islet transplantation may represent the most physiologic replacement of hormonal deficiencies in the diabetic recipient.