BACKGROUND: Islet transplantation has become a clinical reality; however, before it can be extended to young juvenile diabetics an unlimited supply of tissue is needed and the use of chronic immunosuppression should be eliminated. This study was designed to determine whether Sertoli cells can immunoprotect islet xenografts. METHODS: Lewis rat islets were cotransplanted with Balb/c Sertoli cells in diabetic Balb/c mice treated with one injection of anti-mouse lymphocyte serum (ALS). RESULTS: When islets were transplanted alone, in combination with Sertoli cells, or in combination with ALS, mean graft survival times were 10.9+/-0.8, 14.0+/-1.2, or 12.2+/-0.7, respectively. When islets were combined with Sertoli cells and ALS, mean graft survival time increased to 64.9+/-8.1. CONCLUSIONS: Sertoli cells are able to prolong the survival of islet xenografts when combined with ALS, thereby supporting their use as a means to immunoprotect cellular grafts such as islets for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.
BACKGROUND: Islet transplantation has become a clinical reality; however, before it can be extended to young juvenile diabetics an unlimited supply of tissue is needed and the use of chronic immunosuppression should be eliminated. This study was designed to determine whether Sertoli cells can immunoprotect islet xenografts. METHODS: Lewis rat islets were cotransplanted with Balb/c Sertoli cells in diabetic Balb/c mice treated with one injection of anti-mouse lymphocyte serum (ALS). RESULTS: When islets were transplanted alone, in combination with Sertoli cells, or in combination with ALS, mean graft survival times were 10.9+/-0.8, 14.0+/-1.2, or 12.2+/-0.7, respectively. When islets were combined with Sertoli cells and ALS, mean graft survival time increased to 64.9+/-8.1. CONCLUSIONS: Sertoli cells are able to prolong the survival of islet xenografts when combined with ALS, thereby supporting their use as a means to immunoprotect cellular grafts such as islets for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.
Authors: Stephen T Bartlett; James F Markmann; Paul Johnson; Olle Korsgren; Bernhard J Hering; David Scharp; Thomas W H Kay; Jonathan Bromberg; Jon S Odorico; Gordon C Weir; Nancy Bridges; Raja Kandaswamy; Peter Stock; Peter Friend; Mitsukazu Gotoh; David K C Cooper; Chung-Gyu Park; Phillip OʼConnell; Cherie Stabler; Shinichi Matsumoto; Barbara Ludwig; Pratik Choudhary; Boris Kovatchev; Michael R Rickels; Megan Sykes; Kathryn Wood; Kristy Kraemer; Albert Hwa; Edward Stanley; Camillo Ricordi; Mark Zimmerman; Julia Greenstein; Eduard Montanya; Timo Otonkoski Journal: Transplantation Date: 2016-02 Impact factor: 4.939