Pancreatic islet transplantation ameliorates the effect of diabetes on retinal capillary endothelial cell kinetics.
Perturbations in capillary endothelial cell function are early events in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. We used tritiated thymidine autoradiography to study the turn-over rate of retinal capillary endothelial cells in retinovascular preparations from normal, untreated diabetic and diabetic mice treated with pancreatic islet-cell transplants. Capillary endothelial cell turnover was significantly increased in poorly controlled diabetes and this increase was reduced by islet-cell transplantation. The prevention of excessive endothelial cell replication by tight control of hyperglycemia may help prevent the characteristic structural changes of diabetic microangiopathy, such as basement membrane accumulation.
Cuthbertson
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Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Mandel
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D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D002455:Cell Division; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000601:surgery*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose; D006454:Hemoglobins