Co-culture of cryopreserved rat islets with small intestinal submucosa / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the feasibility and benefits of co-culture of cryopreserved islets with small intestinal submucosa (SIS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Purified rat islets cryopreserved for one month were divided into SIS group and control group, and after culture in standard islet culture media RPMI1640 for 1 week, the morphology and function of the islets were assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The SIS protects the fragile islets from damage by cryopreservation, and increased the recovery from (60.6-/+3.3)% to (91.7-/+1.8) % (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, incubation of the islets of the SIS group in high-glucose (16.7 mmol/L) solution resulted in significantly enhanced insulin secretion (23.7-/+1.6 vs 12.5-/+1.1 mU/L, P<0.05). When the islets were incubated in high-glucose solution containing theophylline, the calculated stimulation index of SIS group was about 3-fold higher than that of the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Co-culture of cryopreserved rat islets with SIS can increase the recovery of islet cells and improve their function.</p>