title: Islet cell culture in defined serum-free medium.
abstract: A serum-free, hormone- and factor-supplemented, defined medium was developed which maintains functional activity of primary cultures of adult islet cells and continuous islet cell lines. Medium supplements examined included proteose peptone (PP), transferrin (TrFe), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), an insulinotropic fragment of human GH [hGH-(6-13)], ethanolamine (EA), phosphoethanolamine (PEA), and human serum albumin (HSA). Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from islet monolayers was determined after culture in serum-free supplemented medium by either 2- to 3-h static incubations or in a superfusion system with either low (2.8-8.3 mM) or stimulatory (16.7-19.4 mM) glucose concentrations. Glucose-induced secretion was not sustained after 3-4 days of culture in medium supplemented with PP (0.5 mg/ml) and TrFe (10 micrograms/ml) alone. Addition of T3 did not restore glucose-induced secretion, although a combination of T3 and IGF-I or of T3, IGF-I, and PRL (10(-10)-10(-9) M) maintained glucose-induced insulin secretion for 1 month. No beneficial effects were noted with hGH-(6-13). The beta-cell lines HIT-T15 and RINr 1046-38 were used to screen for a potential replacement for PP, the undefined component of the serum-free medium. A combination of HSA (1 mg/ml), EA (50 microM), and PEA (50 microM) provided a replacement for PP. In fact, insulin secretion from HIT-T15 cells was significantly better after culture in medium supplemented with HSA, EA, PEA, TrFe, T3, IGF-I, and PRL than in medium with PP, TrFe, T3, IGF-I, and PRL. HSA (1 mg/ml), EA (50 microM), and PEA (50 microM) in combination with TrFe (10 micrograms/ml), T3 (0.1 nM), IGF-I (0.65 nM), and PRL (1 nM) were used in studies with primary islet monolayers. After 3 weeks of culture islet monolayers were superfused, and the biphasic glucose-induced insulin secretion of cells maintained in defined medium was indistinguishable from the insulin secretion of cells maintained in medium with 5% fetal bovine serum. These studies indicate that adult rat beta-cells retain biphasic glucose-induced insulin secretion after extended culture in defined serum-free medium. The defined medium was also useful for cultures of RINr 1046-38 and HIT-T15 cells and should provide a basis for formulating media for islet cells from higher mammals, including man.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester 01655.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chick
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006728:Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D006728:Hormones; D007328:Insulin