QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHANGES IN ISLET CELLS OF AUTOTRANSPLANTED PANCREAS IN DOGS IN RELATION TO GLUCOSE-METABOLISM

This study was conducted to clarify the quantitative and qualitative changes in the cells of the islets of Langerhans in the autotransplanted pancreas in dogs and to correlate these changes with alterations of glucose tolerance. The left lobe of a canine pancreas was transplanted into the left iliac fossa. The splenic vessels were anastomosed to the left iliac vessels. The pancreatic duct was left open to the peritoneal cavity. Open biopsies of the autotransplanted pancreas were performed 3, 7, 11, and 14 weeks after transplantation. The islets in the transplanted pancreas were examined ultrastructurally; B-cells, A-cells, and D-cells were identified immunohistochemically and their percentages were determined. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests were performed 3, 5, 7, 11, and 14 weeks after operation, and several indexes (K values and integrated response and increased values for baseline serum and immunoreactive insulin) were calculated. Fibrosis of the transplanted pancreas progressed after transplantation. The percentage of B-cells fell significantly (p < 0.01), whereas that of A- and D-cells did not have significant changes. The ultrastructural study revealed an increase in collagen bundles, degranulation of B-cells, and marked preservation of A-cell granules 3 weeks after transplantation. B-Cells with dark cytoplasm were found 7 weeks after operation. In contrast, clusters of immature B-cells were seen in some sections of the pancreas 14 weeks after autotransplantation. The integrated response in baseline serum was increased significantly (p < 0.01), and the K value was decreased significantly (p < 0.01) 11 weeks after autotransplantation when compared with the initial posttransplant period. On the other hand, 14 weeks after autotransplantation, neither the integrated response in baseline serum nor the K value showed significant difference from the initial posttransplant period. It may be that the trend toward slight recovery of glucose metabolism 14 weeks after autotransplantation was associated with the clusters of immature B-cells observed ultrastructurally, although the number of B-cells was relatively decreased. Further studies must be done to clarify this phenomenon.