Factors influencing isolation of functional pancreatic rat islets

Yields and function of isolated islets vary considerably in spite of the introduction of new or improved methods for isolation. In most studies, these variations have been attributed to inadequacies of the applied collagenase preparations. However, when we retrospectively analyzed our rat islet isolations, we found large variations in yield and function in spite of application of identical collagenase sources. Therefore, in the present study, we determined the effect of rat donor strain, the source of inhibition of proteolytic activity (by bovine serum albumin), and the culture conditions on yield and function. AO rats showed a twofold higher islet yield than Wistar and Lewis rats. However, a higher yield was not associated with a higher response on glucose load since this response was more pronounced with Lewis islets than with Wistar and AO islets. Rats with a higher weight donate more islets but have a lower insulin secretory capacity. Islet yield and function also vary with application of different sources of bovine serum albumin during digestion. Moreover, the culture conditions influence the functional survival of isolated rat islets. CMRL1066 preserves the insulin secretory capacity of rat islets better than RPMI1640. Finally, the number of islets surviving the culture is higher when 4 instead of 12 and 24 islets were applied per square centimeter. Our observations indicate that strain and weight of the rat donor, the source of bovine serum albumin, and the culture conditions of islets are pertinent factors in efficacious isolation of islets.