ABSTRACT
<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the protective role of HO/CO systems in IL-1beta induced islest apoptosis and to explore the mechanisms of the protective effect of fructose-1, 6-disphosphate (FDP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The pancreases of the rats were removed to collect islets cells. The cells were incubated with IL-1beta with/or FDP. Cell activity, insulin secretion, HO-1 activity, CO content and apoptotic percentage were detected.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>HO-1 activity and CO content of the normal control group were low. IL-1beta induced a significant decrease of cell activity and insulin release, flow cytometry analysis showed that apoptotic percentage of islet cells remarkably increased following the addition of IL-1beta, FDP obviously improved the islets cellular activity damaged by IL-1beta, and basic amount of insulin secretion and stimulated by high glucose were improved (P < 0.01). Content of CO and activity of HO-1 were higher in the IL-1beta group than the normal control group (P < 0.05), and there were significant differences between the FDP groups and IL-1beta group. FDP decreased cell apoptotic percentage. Activities of HO-1 and content of CO were higher than that in the IL-1beta group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>FDP can attenuate the IL-1beta induced apoptosis of cultured beta cells, the mechanism of which may be improved HO-1 activity and CO content.</p>