Archives of Biological Sciences (Jan 2009)
Apoptosis of human fetal pancreatic islets during short-term culture
Abstract
We investigated the influence of short-term culture in vitro on the appearance of apoptosis of human fetal pancreatic islets (HFIs) and its effect on the mass and insulin-secretory capacity (ISC) of β-cells. It was found that apoptosis was present from the end of the culture period, increasing as a function of time and leading to decrease of β-cell mass. At the same time, ISC decreased. The decrease of β-cell mass and ISC may influence significantly the clinical outcome of HFIs transplantation in type 1 diabetic patients.
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