Long-term survival and function of isolated bovine pancreatic islets maintained in different culture media

Bovine islets are being evaluated for their potential in transplantation studies. We studied the recovery, morphology, and function of purified bovine islets cultured up to 4 weeks under varying conditions. Approximately 60% of the initial islet mass could be recovered after 4 weeks at 37 degrees C in CMRL 1066 or M 199 culture medium, and the cultured islets were well preserved histologically and viable both in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, culture with RPMI 1640 caused disaggregation of the islets within a few days, with altered in vitro viability. Thus, culturing purified bovine islets with appropriate media is a suitable procedure to maintain islet mass, morphology, and function in the long term.