Key result
Islet transplantation to the omentum in mice demonstrated functional superiority at 1 month compared to intraportal transplantation, with rapid restoration of vascularity and oxygenation.
Why the study?
Does transplantation of islets into the omentum improve engraftment and functional outcome compared to intraportal transplantation in mice?
Does transplantation of islets into the omentum improve engraftment and functional outcome compared to intraportal transplantation in mice?
The omentum provides superior engraftment conditions and functional outcomes for transplanted islets compared to the liver in a mouse model.
May support omental site exploration in preclinical islet models; hypothesis-generating and leaves human translation open.
Transplantation of islets into the liver confers several site-specific challenges, including a delayed vascularization and prevailing hypoxia. The greater omentum has in several experimental studies been suggested as an alternative implantation site for clinical use, but there has been no direct functional comparison to the liver. In this experimental study in mice, we characterized the engraftment of mouse and human islets in the omentum and compared engraftment and functional outcome with those in the intraportal site. The vascularization and innervation of the islets transplanted into the omentum were restored within the first month by paralleled ingrowth of capillaries and nerves. The hypoxic conditions in the islets early posttransplantation were transient and restricted to the first days. Newly formed blood vessels were fully functional, and the blood perfusion and oxygenation of the islets became similar to that of endogenous islets. Furthermore, islet grafts in the omentum showed at 1 month posttransplantation functional superiority to intraportally transplanted grafts. We conclude that in contrast to the liver the omentum provides excellent engraftment conditions for transplanted islets. Future studies in humans will be of great interest to investigate the capability of this site to also harbor larger grafts without interfering with islet functionality.
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Espes et al. (2016) studied Islet transplantation. Islet transplantation to the omentum vs. Intraportal islet transplantation was evaluated on Engraftment and functional outcome. Islet transplantation to the omentum in mice demonstrated functional superiority at 1 month compared to intraportal transplantation, with rapid restoration of vascularity and oxygenation.
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