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In vitro culture reduces immunogenicity of pancreatic endocrine islets

Abstract

HUMAN pancreatic transplantation results, using the whole organ, have been disappointing and interest has been focused recently on the promising results obtained by transplanting isolated endocrine islets. Islet cell isotransplantation can restore the diabetic animal successfully to a state of normoglycaemia1,2. Unfortunately, islet allografts have been associated with only brief periods (4–8 d) of normoglycaemia, and attempts to prolong function with immunosuppressive therapy of the host have generally been unsuccessful3. The present results, however, suggest that the survival time of pancreatic islets, transplanted directly into the liver of a histoincompatible recipient, is prolonged by in vitro culture of the tissue before transplantation. Complete or partial control lasting up to more than 160d was achieved in 70% of recipients. Nevertheless, allogeneic cultured transplants are less effective in equivalent quantities than isogeneic grafts, in reversing an experimental diabetic state in rats.

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KEDINGER, M., HAFFEN, K., GRENIER, J. et al. In vitro culture reduces immunogenicity of pancreatic endocrine islets. Nature 270, 736–738 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270736a0

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