Abstract
Insulin has been implicated in the foetus as the primary anabolic hormone and as a regulator of somatomedin production in foetal and postnatal life. Somatomedin-C (SM-C) was measured by specific RIA in 6 foetal human pancreas explants (15-17 ws gestation) maintained in culture for up to 12 days. Pancreatic tissue contained very little SM-C (< 1mU/μg tissue DNA) either in fresh uncultured or in tissue cultured for 8 days. In 3 experiments insulin and SM-C released into conditioned serum free medium exposed to the tissue for 12-24 h periods at different times during the culture were measured. Insulin (up to 100 mU/ml) did not crossreact in the SM-C RIA. Pancreas released substantial amounts of SM-C into the serum-free medium (14-26 mU/μg DNA per 24 h). The release of SM-C by the pancreas increased with the length of explant culture and was positively associated with insulin release. SM-C release did not appear to depend on the concentration of various nutrients in the culture medium. Conclusion: Human foetal pancreas is a source of SM-C but does not appear to store the peptide. At present the cellular origin of SM-C in the human foetal pancreas is not clear.
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Cser, M., Hill, D., Wirdnam, P. et al. Somatomedin-C/Insulin-like Growth Factor I Released by the Human Foetal Pancreas. Pediatr Res 18, 799 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198408000-00045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198408000-00045