Journal
BIOMATERIALS
Volume 32, Issue 6, Pages 1536-1542Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.10.036
Keywords
ECM(extracellular matrix); Microfabricated biodegradable scaffold; Long-term culture of human islets; Islet functionality
Funding
- Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
- JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation)
- Fonds Quebecois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Human pancreatic islet in vitro culture is very challenging and requires the presence of various extra cellular matrix (ECM) components in a three-dimensional environment, which provides mechanical and biological support. The development of such an environment is vital in providing favourable conditions to preserve human islets in long-term culture. In this study, we investigated the effects of human islet culture within various three-dimensional environments; collagen I gel, collagen I gel supplemented with ECM components fibronectin and collagen IV, and microfabricated scaffold with ECM-supplemented gel. The cultured human islets were analyzed for functionality, gene expression and hormone content following long-term in vitro culture. It was clear the incorporation of ECM components within the three-dimensional support improved prolonged culture. However, long-term and highly uniform human islet culture within a microfabricated scaffold, with controlled pore structures, coupled with the presence of ECM components, displayed an insulin release profile similar to freshly isolated islets, yielding a stimulation index of similar to 1.8. Moreover, gene expression was markedly increased for all pancreatic genes, giving a similar to 50-fold elevation of insulin gene expression with respect to suspension culture. The distribution and presence of pancreatic hormones was also highly elevated. These findings provide a platform for the long-term maintenance and preservation of human pancreatic islets in vitro. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available