Membrane bioreactors as hybrid artificial pancreas: experimental evaluation.
Results of cultured islet transplantation in the management of insulin-dependent diabetes are still unsatisfactory. The main problem preventing success is the swift and resolute host immune rejection. To obviate this we designed and experimented a model of bioartificial pancreas, made of polymeric hollow fibers, put into the blood circulation as an artero-venous bypass to immunoisolate endocrine tissue from leucocytes and immunoglobulins. We tested four different membrane bioreactors (BR1-4). BR1 and 2 had seven hollow fibers, the others more than 6,000 smaller fibers. In BR4 a connecting tube with a high-permeability membrane was inserted between the islet compartment and the bioreactor outlet to improve the ultrafiltration flow. In vitro, the islets inside the bioreactor perfused with glucose solutions (300 mg%) showed a rapid, high insulin secretory response, related to the glucose stimulation. The use of the outside connection allowed a twofold increase of insulin production.
Lombardi
C P
CP
Institute of Clinical Surgery, Catholic University, Roma, Italy.
Urso
A
A
Catapano
G
G
Careddu
G
G
Ghirlanda
G
G
Ceriati
F
F
Brisinda
G
G
Bellantone
R
R
Doglietto
G B
GB
Crucitti
F
F
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004339:Drug Compounding; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007332:Insulin Infusion Systems; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D013552:Swine
D007328:Insulin