title: Experimental hybrid islet transplantation: application of polyvinyl alcohol membrane for entrapment of islets.
abstract: In this study, we first examined in vitro a polyvinyl alcohol membrane to be used to contain hybrid islet cells, and second we tested a bioartificial pancreas with entrapment of pancreatic islets in polyvinyl alcohol membrane in rats with experimentally induced diabetes. The permeability of the polyvinyl alcohol membrane to different substances was studied in a two-cell chamber system. Glucose, insulin, and nutrients passed through the membrane easily, whereas the passage of immunoglobulin G was completely prevented, indicating that this membrane could be effective in protecting the bioartificial pancreas from immunorejection. Approximately 2,000 islets collected from three Sprague-Dawley rats were enclosed in a mesh-reinforced polyvinyl alcohol tube and transplanted into the peritoneal cavity of six Wistar rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Their nonfasting serum glucose levels were significantly decreased for at least 12 days. Six diabetic rats receiving intraperitoneal transplantation of free islets without the tube showed a slight but significant decrease in nonfasting serum glucose levels for only 3 days. One diabetic rat with transplantation of the bioartificial pancreas had a significant and sustained decrease in nonfasting glucose levels from pretransplanted levels of 440-500 mg/dl to a mean value of 162 +/- 13 mg/dl for over 3 months without immunosuppression. The bioartificial pancreas was then removed, and glucose levels gradually increased to over 500 mg/dl. The results of the present study suggest that a bioartificial pancreas with entrapment of islets in a polyvinyl alcohol membrane could be a promising therapeutic approach to diabetes mellitus.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujisato
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Burczak
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogire
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tobe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maetani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000601:surgery; D005782:Gels; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D006822:Hybrid Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010539:Permeability; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005782:Gels; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007328:Insulin; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; C062364:polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D005947:Glucose