title: Development and characterization of simulant pancreatic islets.
abstract: Insulin is stored in pancreatic islets as a zinc-insulin complex, and stimulating the islets results in the release of insulin and zinc. Simulant pancreatic islet beads have been developed using agarose beads (50-250 micro m diameter) derivatized with iminodiacetic acid that have been loaded with zinc. A qualitative comparison of the simulant beads with pancreatic islets has been made by staining with dithizone and a zinc-binding fluorescent dye, TSQ. The binding capacity of simulant beads was determined to be 34 micro mol Zn(2+)/g of dried beads using anodic stripping voltammetry. Hydrochloric acid was used to release zinc from beads to mimic the secretion of insulin from pancreatic islets and a release profile was established. The simulant beads can be used to optimize the islet isolation process and reduce the use of real islets in method development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 210172, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0172, USA.
authors.forename: Anne T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Maghasi
authors.forename: Kevin T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Schlueter
authors.forename: H Brian
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Halsall
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Heineman
authors.forename: Horacio L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Rodriguez Rilo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D004563:Electrochemistry; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008863:Microspheres; D051381:Rats; D012685:Sepharose / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D012685:Sepharose; D015032:Zinc; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid