title: Subcapsular fetal pig pancreas fragment transplantation provides normal blood glucose control in a preclinical model of diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Identifying a limitless source of β-cells that survive transplantation into a neovascularised site and provide normal blood glucose control remains an important goal in the development of pancreatic islet xenotransplantation. It was our hypothesis that fetal porcine pancreas fragments could achieve these objectives, and this was tested in a large preclinical animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inbred "Westran Pig" fetal porcine pancreas fragments were transplanted beneath the splenic capsule into syngeneic Westran Pig recipients without immunosuppression, and 3 months later, a total native pancreatectomy was performed to demonstrate function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histologic analysis showed appropriate development of islet-like structures up to and beyond 120 days after transplantation. After native pancreatectomy, recipients survived more than 100 days without exogenous insulin and with normal glucose homeostasis as assessed by normal glucose tolerance tests, K values, and normal glucagon secretion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that fetal pig islet tissue has the potential to mature and function normally in a neovascularised site, hence, avoiding the innate immune destruction that occurs when islet tissue is exposed directly to the circulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia. wayneh@med.usyd.edu.au
authors.forename: Wayne J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Hawthorne
authors.forename: Denbigh M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Simond
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: Anita T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: O'Connell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005934:Glucagon / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D013552:Swine; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005934:Glucagon