In vitro proliferation of adult human beta-cells.

A decrease in functional beta-cell mass is a key feature of type 2 diabetes. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogues induce proliferation of rodent beta-cells. However, the proliferative capacity of human beta-cells and its modulation by GLP-1 analogues remain to be fully investigated. We therefore sought to quantify adult human beta-cell proliferation in vitro and whether this is affected by the GLP-1 analogue liraglutide.Human islets from 7 adult cadaveric organ donors were dispersed into single cells. Beta-cells were purified by FACS. Non-sorted cells and the beta-cell enriched ("beta-cells") population were plated on extracellular matrix from rat (804G) and human bladder carcinoma cells (HTB9) or bovine corneal endothelial ECM (BCEC). Cells were maintained in culture+/-liraglutide for 4 days in the presence of BrdU.Rare human beta-cell proliferation could be observed either in the purified beta-cell population (0.051±0.020%; 22 beta-cells proliferating out of 84'283 beta-cells counted) or in the non-sorted cell population (0.055±0.011%; 104 proliferating beta-cells out of 232'826 beta-cells counted), independently of the matrix or the culture conditions. Liraglutide increased human beta-cell proliferation on BCEC in the non-sorted cell population (0.082±0.034% proliferating beta-cells vs. 0.017±0.008% in control, p<0.05).These results indicate that adult human beta-cell proliferation can occur in vitro but remains an extremely rare event with these donors and particular culture conditions. Liraglutide increases beta-cell proliferation only in the non-sorted cell population and only on BCEC. However, it cannot be excluded that human beta-cells may proliferate to a greater extent in situ in response to natural stimuli.

Free fatty acids induce a proinflammatory response in islets via the abundantly expressed interleukin-1 receptor I.

Islets of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) display features of an inflammatory process including elevated levels of the cytokine IL-1beta, various chemokines, and macrophages. IL-1beta is a master regulator of inflammation, and IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI) blockage improves glycemia and insulin secretion in humans with T2DM and in high-fat-fed mice pointing to a pivotal role of IL-1RI activity in intra-islet inflammation. Given the association of dyslipidemia and T2DM, we tested whether free fatty acids (FFA) promote the expression of proinflammatory factors in human and mouse islets and investigated a role for the IL-1RI in this response. A comparison of 22 mouse tissues revealed the highest IL-1RI expression levels in islets and MIN6 beta-cells. FFA induced IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 in human islets and IL-1beta and KC in mouse islets. Elevated glucose concentrations enhanced FFA-induced proinflammatory factors in human islets. Blocking the IL-1RI with the IL-1R antagonist (IL-1Ra) strongly inhibited FFA-mediated expression of proinflammatory factors in human and mouse islets. Antibody inhibition of IL-1beta revealed that FFA stimulated IL-1RI activity via the induction of the receptor ligand. FFA-induced IL-1beta and KC expression in mouse islets was completely dependent on the IL-1R/Toll-like receptor (TLR) docking protein Myd88 and partly dependent on TLR2 and -4. Activation of TLR2 in purified human beta-cells and islets stimulated the expression of proinflammatory factors, and IL-1RI activity increased the TLR2 response in human islets. We conclude that FFA and TLR stimulation induce proinflammatory factors in islets and that IL-1RI engagement results in signal amplification.

Low- and high-density lipoproteins modulate function, apoptosis, and proliferation of primary human and murine pancreatic beta-cells.

A low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) plasma concentration and the abundance of small dense low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. We therefore investigated whether HDL and LDL play a role in the regulation of pancreatic islet cell apoptosis, proliferation, and secretory function. Isolated mouse and human islets were exposed to plasma lipoproteins of healthy human donors. In murine and human beta-cells, LDL decreased both proliferation and maximal glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The comparative analysis of beta-cells from wild-type and LDL receptor-deficient mice revealed that the inhibitory effect of LDL on insulin secretion but not proliferation requires the LDL receptor. HDL was found to modulate the survival of both human and murine islets by decreasing basal as well as IL-1beta and glucose-induced apoptosis. IL-1beta-induced beta-cell apoptosis was also inhibited in the presence of either the delipidated protein or the deproteinated lipid moieties of HDL, apolipoprotein A1 (the main protein component of HDL), or sphingosine-1-phosphate (a bioactive sphingolipid mostly carried by HDL). In murine beta-cells, the protective effect of HDL against IL-1beta-induced apoptosis was also observed in the absence of the HDL receptor scavenger receptor class B type 1. Our data show that both LDL and HDL affect function or survival of beta-cells and raise the question whether dyslipidemia contributes to beta-cell failure and hence the manifestation and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus.