ABSTRACT
Objective: Type 1 diabetes is caused by destruction of beta cells of pancreas. Vildagliptin [VG], a dipeptidyl peptidase IV [DPP IV] inhibitor, is an anti-diabetic drug, which increases beta cell mass. In the present study, the effects of VG on generation of insulin-producing cells [IPCs] from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells [ASCs] is investigated
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, ASCs were isolated and after characterization were exposed to differentiation media with or without VG. The presence of IPCs was confirmed by morphological analysis and gene expression [Pdx-1, Glut-2 and Insulin]. Newport Green staining was used to determine insulin-positive cells. Insulin secretion under different concentrations of glucose was measured using radioimmunoassay method
Results: In the presence of VG the morphology of differentiated cells was similar to the pancreatic islet cells. Expression of Pdx-1, Glut-2 and Insulin genes in VG-treated cells was significantly higher than the cells exposed to induction media only. Insulin release from VG-treated ASCs showed a nearly 3.6 fold [P<0.05] increase when exposed to a highglucose medium in comparison to untreated ASCs. The percentage of insulin-positive cells in the VG-treated cells was approximately 2.9-fold higher than the untreated ASCs
Conclusion: The present study has demonstrated that VG elevates differentiation of ASCs into IPCs. Improvement of this protocol may be used in cell therapy in diabetic patients