RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Inadequate sources of islet cells mean that islet cell transplantation for diabetes cannot meet the clinical demand.Therefore,in vitro induction of pancreatic stem cells to differentiate into islets has become a focus of research. OBJECTIVE:To study the effect of Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharides on the differentiation of pancreatic stem cells from islets in mice, so as to explore the effect of traditional Chinese medicine on the differentiation of pancreatic stem cells into pancreatic beta cells. METHODS:Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide was used to induce the differentiation of purified mouse pancreatic stem cells into islets in vitro.The islet-like cell clusters then underwent morphologic observation, dithizone (DTZ) staining, and western blot analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Cell morphology, cell growth characteristics and immunocytochemical staining showed that mouse pancreatic stem cells were obtained.They were induced by Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide into spherical islet-like structures, which had a spindly pedicle connected with the bottom of the culture flask, and were DTZ-stained to iron red. Western blot assay detected β-cytokine proteins in the islet-like cell clusters. These findings confirm that mouse pancreatic stem cells can be induced to differentiate into islet-like cell clusters containing β cells in vitro by Tripterygium wilfordii polysaccharide.