title: Treatment of diabetes with encapsulated pig islets: an update on current developments.
abstract: The potential use of allogeneic islet transplantation in curing type 1 diabetes mellitus has been adequately demonstrated, but its large-scale application is limited by the short supply of donor islets and the need for sustained and heavy immunosuppressive therapy. Encapsulation of pig islets was therefore suggested with a view to providing a possible alternative source of islet grafts and avoiding chronic immunosuppression and associated adverse or toxic effects. Nevertheless, several vital elements should be taken into account before this therapy becomes a clinical reality, including cell sources, encapsulation approaches, and implantation sites. This paper provides a comprehensive review of xenotransplantation of encapsulated pig islets for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus, including current research findings and suggestions for future studies.
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an 710061, China; Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China; Department of Hand Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Norman Bethune Health Science Center, Jilin University, Changchun 130033, China; Institute of Advanced Surgical Technology and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
authors.forename: Hai-tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xing-yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy*; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D013552:Swine; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents
keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Encapsulation; Islet; Pig; Xenotransplantation