title: [Treatment of diabetes mellitus with transplantation of immunoprotected pancreatic islet tissue].
abstract: Research in islet transplantation in the treatment of diabetes mellitus is making rapid progress. Vascularized pancreas allotransplantation is now an accepted treatment, but with major limitations. The shortage of human islets for allotransplantation requires new sources of insulin-producing tissue. Xenotransplantation is one such approach, though the procedure is limited by immunological rejection of the graft. Immunoisolation of insulin-producing graft in alginate capsules protects the transplant from immunological damage. The alginate capsule consists of a semipermeable membrane, which act as an immunological barrier between the graft and the host. In addition to exclude immunocells and humoral mediators of rejection, the membrane must be permeable to nutrients and toxic end products from the cell metabolism, and permit free diffusion of glucose and insulin. We may hope that this immunoisolating technique will establish prolonged survival of allo- or xenografted tissue without immunosuppressive treatment.
authors.affiliation: Institutt for kreftforskning og molekylaerbiologi Det medisinske fakultet Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Trondheim. Baard.Kulseng@medisin.ntnu.no
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kulseng
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Espevik
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Skjåk-Braek
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002214:Capsules; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000601:surgery*; D015194:Diffusion Chambers, Culture; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D013552:Swine; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D002214:Capsules