Transplantation of islets of Langerhans in diabetic rats.

ABSTRACT

In the present work, homogeneous isolated pancreatic islet-cells were transplanted to diabetic rats with the aim of verifying if the transplanted tissue could survive and reduce the plasma glucose concentration on the alloxan-induced diabetic receptors. For the isolation of the pancreatic islets, pancreas was incubated in collagenase solution for about 13 +/- 3 minutes, followed by centrifugation in Ficoll gradients. The islets, 3 000 to 5 000, were transplanted to alloxan diabetic recipients, in a territory, preferentially with portal-hepatic drainage (mesentery and spleen). Sixty per cent of the recipients exhibited a fall of the plasma glucose concentration, up to 70