Assessment of B-cell mass in isolated islets exposed to D-[3H]mannoheptulose.
D-mannoheptulose was recently proposed to be transported into cells mainly at the intervention of GLUT2. In the present study, it was investigated whether advantage could be taken from such a situation to assess the contribution of insulin-producing B-cells to the total mass of isolated rat pancreatic islets. After 60 min incubation at 37 degrees C in the presence of 8.3 mM D-glucose, the intracellular distribution space of D-[3H]mannoheptulose (0.1 mM) averaged, in islets from control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, respectively 49.0+/-2.3 and 6.2+/-1.5% of the corresponding intracellular 3HOH space, all values being corrected for extracellular contamination as judged from the distribution space of [U-14C]sucrose (1.0 mM). These findings indicate that the present approach indeed allows to assess the relative contribution of B-cells to total islet mass for purpose of comparison between animals with different metabolic and/or hormonal status.
Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, Brussels Free University, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium. malaisse@med.ulb.ac.be
W J
WJ
Malaisse
L
L
Ladrière
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000502:physiology; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008356:Mannoheptulose / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014316:Tritium / Q000378:metabolism
D014316:Tritium; D008356:Mannoheptulose; D005947:Glucose