Endocrine function of pancreas transplant: insulin, glucagon and somatostatin release from rat pancreatic isograft.

Using the whole pancreas transplantation model, we investigated the endocrine function of the isografted pancreatic A, B and D cells. The release of insulin, glucagon and somatostatin by the pancreatic grafts were examined and compared with those in normal rats with or without syngenic pancreas transplantation, using in vivo and in vitro systems. These studies demonstrate that the grafted pancreas maintained normal insulin, glucagon and somatostatin secretion after transplantation. This pancreatic graft may serve as a suitable experimental model for the studies on therapy for diabetes mellitus.