Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a new herald for regenerative medicine for control of incurable diseases in human and animals. Diabetes occurs when the blood glucose is high due to lack of insulin hormone secreted by the pancreatic cells. The global diabetes in 2019 is estimated 463 million people and rising to 578 million by 2030.
Methods: Here we differentiated goat adipose tissue derived MSCs into insulin producing cells. To achieve this, the goat MSCs were cultured in serum-free DMEM/F12 medium containing glucose, nicotinamide, activin-A, exendin-4, pentagastrin, retinoic acid and mercaptoethanol for three weeks. The in vitro differentiation ADSCs into insulin-producing cells was confirmed by detecting the pancreatic endoderm specific markers i.e. Igf-1, Sst, Ngn3, Pdx-1, Isl-1, c-Kit, Thy-1, and Glut-2 in differentiating cells.
Results: There was a significant increase in insulin specific gene expression with respect to duration of differentiation. Pancreatic insulin-producing cells were further characterized by immunolocalization of Pdx-1, insulin, and Islets-1 specific protein. The release of insulin in response to a glucose challenge was also evaluated.
Conclusions: The study provides new opportunities for deciphering the basic mechanism of in vitro genesis of pancreatic cells and basic properties, availability, and abundance of ADSCs render them well-suited for applications in regenerative medicine.