title: Recovery and function of human fetal pancreas frozen to -196 C.
abstract: Human fetal pancreases were dissected into 1- to 2- mm3 fragments and frozen to -196 C using a modification of procedures previously used successfully for cryopreservation of the rat fetal pancreas. Freeze-recovered pancreatic pieces were able to incorporate radioactive amino acids into proteins. When placed into organ culture, nonfrozen control and freeze-recovered pancreas tissue secreted radioimmoassayable insulin in response to glucose plus theophylline, but not to glucose alone. Freeze-killed pancreatic pieces were totally inactive functionally. With respect to those parameters tested, freeze-recovered pancreas tissues were equivalent to nonfrozen tissue.
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D009926:Organ Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism*; D014021:Tissue Preservation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin