Are organ preservation solutions useful for the storage of isolated human islets?

Clinical islet transplantation invariably requires more than one donor per recipient. Delay between transplants could be reduced if islets were stored and transported between centers. This study assessed viability and response to glucose of isolated human islets after storage in tissue culture medium (TCM) 199 at 30 degrees C (control), TCM 199 at 22 degrees C (RT), University of Wisconsin solution @ 4 degrees C (UW), or Eurocollins Solution at 4 degrees C (EC) and compared 18 hours storage (group 1) or overnight culture followed by 4 hours storage (group 2). Insulin stimulation index (SI) (mean +/- SD, n = 5), after 1 hour glucose static challenge was not significantly different (P >.05) from islets in group 1 stored in RT 1.76 +/- 1.08 or EC 1.14 +/- 0.29 versus control 2.41 +/- 1.13 or group 2, RT 1.73 +/- 0.51, EC 2.07 +/- 0.63 versus control 2.12 +/- 0.58. However, SI UW was significantly lower (P <.05) than the control in group 1 (1.19 +/- 0.30) and group 2 (1.36 +/- 0.34). Islet viability represented by the ATP/ADP ratio (mean +/- SD, n = 5) was not significantly different after storage in RT 0.201 +/- 0.159; EC 0.205 +/- 0.123; or UW 0.611 +/- 0.992 versus the control 0.223 +/- 0.158 in group 1, and RT 0.178 +/- 0.055; EC 0.137 +/- 0.018; or UW 0.173 +/- 0.085, compared with the control 0.199 +/- 0.069 in group 2. We conclude, organ preservation solutions EC and UW do not have an advantage over TCM 199 for the storage of isolated human islets.

The distribution of porcine pancreatic beta-cells at ages 5, 12 and 24 weeks.

Islet transplantation is a potential treatment for diabetes mellitus and porcine pancreata may provide a readily available source of islets. The size, number and distribution of islets within the pancreas may influence the choice of age of donor for xenotransplantation. Samples (n = 3 per age group) from the dorsal and ventral pancreas of 5-, 12- and 24-week-old hybrid pigs were fixed in formal saline, processed in paraffin wax and stained with an avidin/biotin immunohistochemical kit for insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. The arrangement of endocrine cells within the pancreata were studied and mean diameter of beta-cell groups were measured (from insulin stained sections) in 1 mm2 grid areas (n = 10 per section) and collated into groups according to size. Percentage volume density of beta-cells in relation to the whole pancreas was calculated and also the distribution of beta-cell groups, according to their size, within the total beta-cell mass. There were differences in the frequency and arrangement of endocrine cells within islets at the different ages studied. beta-Cell groups < 50 microm in diameter occupied 70 to 80% of the total beta-cell mass at 5 weeks but, as the age of the pig increased, larger cell groups were more abundant. However, the percentage volume density of beta-cells within the total pancreas did not change as the pancreas matured. This study shows that the endocrine porcine pancreas was maturing and its structure changed between the ages of 5 and 24 weeks. The relevance of these findings may have implications on the isolation and function of islets if young pigs are to be used as donors for transplantation as a treatment for diabetes mellitus.

The influence of collagenase solvent on the isolation of islets from 5 week old pigs: a comparison of TCM-199 and UW.

Islet transplantation is a potential treatment for diabetes, but the techniques for islet isolation are inefficient and the recovery rates for isolated islets are often low. As the solutions employed during the isolation process may affect islet yield, we have investigated the effect of collagenase solvent, and compared the effect of dissolving collagenase in TCM-199 (TCM) or University of Wisconsin (UW) solution on yield and viability of islets isolated from 5 week old pigs. Pancreata were transported to the laboratory in UW solution, and the islets isolated using a manual method of collagenase digestion. The optimum concentration of collagenase which would liberate the maximum number of islets was determined for each solvent, and then the yield and viability of islets isolated using collagenase in TCM and UW were compared. It was found that, when UW was used as collagenase solvent, a higher concentration of collagenase was required to liberate the maximum number of islets. Comparative experiments revealed that although the total number of isolated islets was greater using UW as the solvent, the number of islet equivalents was similar in both preparations. More than 90% of the cells in both preparations excluded trypan blue, although according to a scoring system, preparations isolated using UW showed greater viability. The stimulation indices in response to glucose and theophylline were similar for both preparations, but islets isolated using UW generally responded with a lower but more sustained insulin release. In conclusion, there was no difference between the total amount of islet tissue isolated using TCM or UW as solvent for collagenase. The preparations isolated using UW were more fragmented, but exhibited superior viability.

Expression of the GALalpha(1-3)GAL epitope on pig islets.

Expression of Galalpha(1-3)Gal on endothelium has been implicated in the rejection of porcine xenografts. The aim of this study was to determine whether expression of Galalpha(1-3)Gal on pig islets varies between pigs aged 5, 12 and 24 weeks, and to investigate whether it is expressed on islets isolated by collagenase digestion or islets maintained in tissue culture. Samples of pancreas were obtained from pigs aged 5, 12 and 24 weeks. Islets were isolated by manual collagenase digestion and density gradient separation. Samples were taken immediately after isolation or after maintenance in tissue culture. Pancreas and islet samples were processed, sectioned and stained with the lectin BS1-B4 (which binds to Galalpha(1-3)Gal residues), and anti-insulin antibody using a double staining technique. There was no significant difference in the staining patterns to sections of pancreas obtained from 5, 12 and 24 week old pigs. Vascular endothelium, connective tissue and the luminal surface of duct epithelial cells stained with BS1-B4 in all sections; endocrine and exocrine cells did not stain. Preliminary experiments showed that lectin staining to isolated islets was inconsistent between preparations, but expression did not appear to differ significantly between ages: lectin staining of some beta-cells was evident in the majority of freshly isolated preparations, but was not detectable on beta-cells following tissue culture. In conclusion, expression of Galalpha(1-3)Gal did not differ significantly in pancreata from 5, 12 and 24 week old pigs. Preliminary experiments showed that Galalpha(1-3)Gal was expressed by beta-cells immediately following isolation, but not after maintenance in culture.

Assessment of the reproducibility of alginate encapsulation of pancreatic islets using the MTT colorimetric assay.

Radioisotope diffusion experiments demonstrate that alginate/polyaminoacid encapsulation can prevent antibody and cytotoxic cell contact in vitro. The unpredictable outcome of xenotransplantation of encapsulated islets may reflect incomplete encapsulation. We have assessed a cytotoxic/MTT (tetrazolium) assay to test antibody permeability of capsules. Samples of free porcine islet tissue, and islet tissue encapsulated in alginate/poly-L-lysine/alginate microspheres were incubated with fresh autologous pig serum or normal human serum overnight. Cell metabolism was assessed by the MTT assay. Data from eight experiments (10 replicates/experiment) were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Values were deemed significant when p < 0.05. Free islets cultured in human serum showed a significant reduction in metabolism when compared with islets cultured in pig serum: percentage reduction 52 +/- 23% (mean +/- SD). The differences in formazan production were significant in all experiments (p < 0.05). Alginate encapsulation of islets or removal of xenoreactive antibodies in human serum by adsorption was shown to prevent the effects of complement-mediated lysis. However, in one of the eight experiments, there was a significant reduction in islet metabolism after exposure of encapsulated porcine islets to human serum. In conclusion, it has been shown that alginate encapsulation can prevent complement-mediated lysis. However, the encapsulation process employed was imperfect and did not prevent complement-mediated lysis of porcine islets in all experiments. The cytotoxicity/MTT assay allows investigation of the permeability of capsules to serum antibodies and could be performed to determine the viability of the islets and the integrity of microcapsules prior to transplantation.

Separation of beta-cells from dispersed porcine pancreas by selective lectin binding.

Variation in cell-surface sugar residues which exist between different pancreatic cells has been exploited in an attempt to isolate beta-cells from dispersed porcine pancreas utilizing selective lectin binding. The binding characteristics of a range of lectins were compared to determine their ability to differentiate between endocrine and non-endocrine cells in the porcine pancreas. Histological analysis showed that peroxidase labelled Arachis hypogaea bound selectively to islet cells in Carnoy-fixed sections of pancreas. In five experiments, porcine pancreas was dispersed into single cells by collagenase digestion, incubated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled Arachis hypogaea and analysed using a Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled Arachis hypogaea bound to a population of cells comprising 6% +/- 4.2% (mean +/- s.d.) of the total. Cells from representative samples were sorted into populations, based on fluorescence. Immunohistochemical analysis of the fluorescent populations showed that 93% +/- 2% of these cells contained insulin: none of the cells stained positive for glucagon or somatostatin. These preliminary studies show that it is possible to separate porcine beta-cells from a dispersed cell preparation using a fluorescent labelled lectin.

Isolation of islets of Langerhans from the weanling pig.

A simple method for the isolation of porcine islets of Langerhans is described. The technique, based on sequential collagenase digestion and density gradient separation through Percoll at unit gravity, produces islets which secrete insulin in response to glucose stimulation in static incubation, show bi-phasic release of insulin when perifused with 16 mM glucose, and can be maintained in culture for six weeks.