Neonatal islet cell transplantation in the diabetic rat: effect on hepatic enzyme activity and glucose homeostasis

Intraperitoneal transplantation of collagenase-digested, isogeneic, neonatal rat pancreatic tissue successfully reversed streptozotocin-induced diabetes in 77% of recipients. The low serum immunoreactive insulin, hyperglycaemia, glycosuria and weight loss, characteristic of the diabetic animal, were corrected and the reduced activities of hepatic glucokinase and pyruvate kinase, and the low glycogen concentration of the liver of diabetic rats were restored to normal. Forty-three per cent of the successfully transplanted rats became normoglycaemic within 1 month of transplantation whereas 57% took from 1 to 6 months to achieve normoglycaemia and displayed a mild glucose intolerance when subjected to a glucose load. The rats which had not become normoglycaemic 6 months after transplantation showed some amelioration of the diabetic state, as shown by increased serum immunoreactive insulin and hepatic glycogen concentration and a slow weight gain compared with diabetic controls.