There is a need to develop three-dimensional structures that mimic the natural islet tissue microenvironment. Endocrine micro-pancreata (EMPs) made up of acellular organ-derived micro-scaffolds seeded with human islets have been shown to express high levels of key beta-cell specific genes and secrete quantities of insulin per cell similar to freshly isolated human islets in a glucose-regulated manner for more than three months in vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of EMPs to restore euglycemia in vivo after transplantation of mouse or human islets in chemically diabetic mice. We proposed that the organ-derived EMPs would restore the extracellular components of the islet microenvironment, generating favorable conditions for islet function and survival. EMPs seeded with 500 mouse islets were implanted intraperitoneally into streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and reverted diabetes in 67% of mice compared to 13% of controls (p = 0.018, n = 9 per group). Histological analysis of the explanted grafts 60 days post-transplantation stained positive for insulin and exhibited increased vascular density in a collagen-rich background. EMPs were also seeded with human islets and transplanted into the peritoneal cavity of immune-deficient diabetic mice at 250 islet equivalents (IEQ), 500 IEQ and 1000 IEQ. Escalating islet dose increased rates of normoglycemia (50% of the 500 IEQ group and 75% of the 1000 IEQ group, n = 3 per group). Human c-peptide levels were detected 90 days post-transplantation in a dose-response relationship. Herein, we report reversal of diabetes in mice by intraperitoneal transplantation of human islet seeded on EMPs with a human islet dose as low as 500 IEQ.

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The aim of this work is to obtain significant and regulated insulin secretion from human beta cells ex vivo. Long-term culture of human pancreatic islets and attempts at expanding human islet cells normally result in loss of beta-cell phenotype. We propose that to obtain proper ex vivo beta cell function, there is a need to develop three-dimensional structures that mimic the natural islet tissue microenvironment. We here describe the preparation of endocrine micro-pancreata (EMPs) that are made up of acellular organ-derived micro-scaffolds seeded with human intact or enzymatically dissociated islets. We show that EMPs constructed by seeding whole islets, freshly enzymatically-dissociated islets or even dissociated islets grown first in standard monolayer cultures express high levels of key beta-cell specific genes and secrete quantities of insulin per cell similar to freshly isolated human islets in a glucose-regulated manner for more than 3 months in vitro.

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