Long-term normalization of diabetes mellitus after xenotransplantation of fetal pancreatic islet cells into the blood stream without immunosuppresive therapy.
The article presents a new method of surgical treatment of experimental diabetes mellitus in a rabbit to dog model. Rabbit islet cells, which had been macroencapsulated into a microporous polyamide, were implanted into the dog aorta without immunosuppressive therapy. Euglycemia was reached at 4 to 5 days and persisted for 12 months. Morphological and immunohistochemical investigations showed long-term preservation of islet cell viability, absence of graft rejection, and formation of a biological artificial pancreas in the capsule at 6 months after transplantation. Up to 60% of transplanted cells were still viable 12 months later. The major factor contributing to preservation of islet cells is neo-angiogenesis, which develops during the first weeks after transplantation. Double immune isolation of islet cells by macroencapsulation with implantation into the blood stream allows the use of either xenotransplantation or allotransplantation.
Prochorov
A V
AV
Belarusian State Medical University, Department of Surgery 2, Minsk, Belarus 220116. prochorov@msmi.minsk.by
Tretjak
S I
SI
Roudenok
V V
VV
Goranov
V A
VA
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000601:surgery*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous