Islet macrophages are associated with islet vascular remodeling and compensatory hyperinsulinemia during diabetes.

β-Cells respond to peripheral insulin resistance by first increasing circulating insulin during diabetes. Islet remodeling supports this compensation, but its drivers remain poorly understood. Infiltrating macrophages have been implicated in late-stage type 2 diabetes, but relatively little is known on islet resident macrophages, especially during compensatory hyperinsulinemia. We hypothesized that islet resident macrophages would contribute to islet vascular remodeling and hyperinsulinemia during diabetes, the failure of which results in a rapid progression to frank diabetes. We used chemical (clodronate), genetics (CD169-diphtheria toxin receptor mice), or antibody-mediated (colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor α) macrophage ablation methods in diabetic (db/db) and diet-induced models of compensatory hyperinsulinemia to investigate the role of macrophages in islet remodeling. We transplanted islets devoid of macrophages into naïve diabetic mice and assessed the impact on islet vascularization. With the use of the above methods, we showed that macrophage depletion significantly and consistently compromised islet remodeling in terms of size, vascular density, and insulin secretion capacity. Depletion of islet macrophages reduced VEGF-A secretion in both human and mouse islets ex vivo, and this functionally translated to delayed revascularization upon transplantation in vivo. We revealed that islet resident macrophages were associated with islet remodeling and increased insulin secretion during diabetes. This suggests utility in harnessing islet macrophages during this phase to promote islet vascularization, remodeling, and insulin secretion.