Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Coculture Analysis of Extracellular Protein Interactions Affecting Insulin Secretion by Pancreatic Beta Cells
Published on: June 15, 2013
Insulin secretion from pancreatic islets in fibrin glue clots at different fibrinogen and thrombin concentrations
P Andrades1, C Asiedu, C Rodriguez
1Division of Transplant Immunology, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama in Birmingham, 1670 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. patricio@uab.edu
Background:
Fibrin glue has proven to be a good delivery system for cell transplantation but the factors that influence the fibrin-cell relationships are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of different concentrations of fibrin glue components (thrombin and fibrinogen) on the function of pancreatic islets.
Method:
Islets were isolated from rat pancreata and combined with 6 different fibrin glue formulations. Each islet sample was incubated sequentially with RPMI containing low and high glucose, and culture supernatants were harvested for insulin determination using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results:
The control group (no fibrin glue) and group 3 (with thrombin 50 U/mL and fibrinogen 10 mg/mL) had the highest insulin secretion in response to glucose stimulation. These were followed by groups 5 and 4 with 2.6 and 1.8 stimulation indexes, respectively. Group 2 (with thrombin 50 U/mL and fibrinogen 5 mg/mL) and group 6 (commercial kit with thrombin 250 U/mL and fibrinogen 75-115 mg/mL) had the lowest insulin response after glucose stimulation.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that different fibrin glue formulations significantly impact pancreatic islets function. In the future, when using fibrin glue as a carrier for pancreatic islet transplantation, lower concentrations of fibrinogen and thrombin are recommended to obtain more viable and functional grafts.
Related Concept Videos
Insulin Secretory Vesicles
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
Clot Retraction and Fibrinolysis
Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion
Insulin and C-peptide are co-secreted in...
Insulin: Biosynthesis, Chemistry, and Preparation
Damage or functional impairment of β-cells inhibits insulin production, leading to diabetes. Diabetes treatment primarily uses...

