Transplantation of islet tissue in the rat

Long term reversal of alloxan diabetes has been accomplished by intraperitoneal isotransplantation of enzymatically dispersed neonatal pancreas. In contrast, allotransplanted recipients showed only a transient recovery from the alloxan diabetes followed by a return to the diabetic state at the time of the homograft rejection. These data strongly suggest that the reversal of the diabetic state was a consequence of the transplanted islets. This conclusion is further supported by quantitative analysis of biopsied pancreases from successfully reversed recipients which reveals only 3% of the normal beta cell mass. By comparison, recovery of transplanted islets composed primarily of aldehyde fuchsin positive beta cells was routinely accomplished in these recipients. Utilization of the more specific unlabeled immunoperoxidase method has revealed that some of the transplanted islets are composed of cells positive for glucagon and somatostatin, as well as insulin. Other recovered transplanted islets (generally smaller in size) are composed primarily of one cell type or the other. The presence of insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and delete pancreatic polypeptide positive cells in the islets of normal rat pancreas has been confirmed. In addition, cells reacting positively for these hormones have been observed in the alloxan diabetic rat pancreatic islets and in islets from reversed recipients. The time required for the disappearance of glycosuria and hyperglycemia (usually occurring from one to eleven weeks posttransplantation) appeared to be related to the amount and age of the donor islet tissue transplanted. Fetal islet tissue was more effective on a per milligram basis in reversing the diabetic state. In addition, while reversal was obtained by transplantation of as little as 5 mg of neonatal islet tissue, relatively large amounts (20 mg) were required before successfully reversed recipients responded normally to glucose tolerance test. By comparison, a similar reversal of diabetes with normal response to glucose load was attained by transplanting only 3 mg of fetal islet tissue. Quantitative morphological evidence of large increases in absolute islet mass, obtained in fetal transplants at the renal subcapsular site suggests that the superiority of fetal islet donor tissue may by in its high growth potential. No adverse effects of an in vitro organ culture period, prior to transplantation, were observed with regard to the ability of neonatal tissue to reverse the diabetic state or for fetal islet tissue to continue to survive at the renal subcapsular site. Likewise, no advantage in regard to amelioration of the homograft rejection response was observed in cultured islet tissue; allotransplants of which were rejected at the kidney site.