Pancreatic beta-cell mass in European subjects with type 2 diabetes.
Decreases in both beta-cell function and number can contribute to insulin deficiency in type 2 diabetes. Here, we quantified the beta-cell mass in pancreas obtained at autopsy of 57 type 2 diabetic (T2D) and 52 non-diabetic subjects of European origin. Sections from the body and tail were immunostained for insulin. The beta-cell mass was calculated from the volume density of beta-cells (measured by point-counting methods) and the weight of the pancreas. The pancreatic insulin concentration was measured in some of the subjects. beta-cell mass increased only slightly with body mass index (BMI). After matching for BMI, the beta-cell mass was 41% (BMI < 25) and 38% (BMI 26-40) lower in T2D compared with non-diabetic subjects, and neither gender nor type of treatment influenced these differences. beta-cell mass did not correlate with age at diagnosis but decreased with duration of clinical diabetes (24 and 54% lower than controls in subjects with <5 and >15 years of overt diabetes respectively). Pancreatic insulin concentration was 30% lower in patients. In conclusion, the average beta-cell mass is about 39% lower in T2D subjects compared with matched controls. Its decrease with duration of the disease could be a consequence of diabetes that, with further impairment of insulin secretion, contributes to the progressive deterioration of glucose homeostasis. We do not believe that the small difference in beta-cell mass observed within 5 years of onset could cause diabetes in the absence of beta-cell dysfunction.
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. jacques.rahier@uclouvain.be
J
J
Rahier
Y
Y
Guiot
R M
RM
Goebbels
C
C
Sempoux
J C
JC
Henquin
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology*; D044465:White People
D001786:Blood Glucose