Enhancement of in vitro and in vivo function of agarose-encapsulated porcine islets by changes in the islet microenvironment.

The transplantation of porcine islets of Langerhans to treat type 1 diabetes may provide a solution to the demand for insulin-producing cells. Porcine islets encapsulated in agarose-agarose macrobeads have been shown to function in nonimmunosuppressed xenogeneic models of both streptozotocin-induced and autoimmune type 1 diabetes. One advantage of agarose encapsulation is the ability to culture macrobeads for extended periods, permitting microbiological and functional assessment. Herein we describe optimization of the agarose matrix that results in improved islet function. Porcine islets (500 IEQs) from retired breeding sows were encapsulated in 1.5% SeaKem Gold (SG), 0.8% SG, or 0.8% Litex (Li) agarose, followed by an outer capsule of 5% SG agarose. Insulin production by the encapsulated islets exhibited an agarose-specific effect with 20% (0.8% SG) to 50% (0.8% Li) higher initial insulin production relative to 1.5% SG macrobeads. Insulin production was further increased by 40-50% from week 2 to week 12 in both agarose types at the 0.8% concentration, whereas islets encapsulated in 1.5% SG agarose increased insulin production by approximately 20%. Correspondingly, fewer macrobeads were required to restore normoglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic female CD(SD) rats that received 0.8% Li (15 macrobeads) or 0.8% SG (17 macrobeads) as compared to 1.5% SG (19 macrobeads). Islet cell proliferation was also observed during the first 2 months postencapsulation, peaking at 4 weeks, where approximately 50% of islets contained proliferative cells, including ß-cells, regardless of agarose type. These results illustrate the importance of optimizing the microenvironment of encapsulated islets to improve islet performance and advance the potential of islet xenotransplantation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Treatment of agarose-agarose RENCA macrobeads with docetaxel selects for OCT4(+) cells with tumor-initiating capability.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory depicts such cells as having the capacity to produce both identical CSCs (symmetrical division) and tumor-amplifying daughter cells (asymmetric division). CSCs are thought to reside in niches similar to those of normal stem cells as described for neural, intestinal, and epidermal tissue, are resistant to chemotherapy, and are responsible for tumor recurrence. We recently described the niche-like nature of mouse renal adenocarcinoma (RENCA) cells following encapsulation in agarose macrobeads. In this paper we tested the hypothesis that encapsulated RENCA colonies function as an in vitro model of a CSC niche and that the majority of cells would undergo chemotherapy-induced death, followed by tumor recurrence. After exposure to docetaxel (5 µg/ml), 50% of cells were lost one week post-treatment while only one or two cells remained in each colony by 6 weeks. Surviving cells expressed OCT4 and reformed tumors at 16 weeks post-treatment. Docetaxel-resistant cells also grew as monolayers in cell culture (16-17 weeks post-exposure) or as primary tumors following transplantation to Balb/c mice (6 of 10 mice) or NOD.CB17-Prkdc(scid)/J mice (9 of 9 mice; 10 weeks post-transplantation or 28 weeks post-exposure). These data support the hypothesis that a rare subpopulation of OCT4(+) cells are resistant to docetaxel and these cells are sufficient for tumor recurrence. The reported methodology can be used to obtain purified populations of tumor-initiating cells, to screen for anti-tumor-initiating cell agents, and to investigate the in vitro correlate of a CSC niche, especially as it relates to chemo-resistance and tumor recurrence.