MRI of transplanted pancreatic islets

✍ Scribed by Daniel Jirák; Jan Kríz; Vít Herynek; Benita Andersson; Peter Girman; Martin Burian; František Saudek; Milan Hájek

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 397 KB
• Volume: 52
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0740-3194
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.20282

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A promising treatment method for type 1 diabetes mellitus is transplantation of pancreatic islets containing β‐cells. The aim of this study was to develop an MR technique to monitor the distribution and fate of transplanted pancreatic islets in an animal model. Twenty‐five hundred purified and magnetically labeled islets were transplanted through the portal vein into the liver of experimental rats. The animals were scanned using a MR 4.7‐T scanner. The labeled pancreatic islets were clearly visualized in the liver in both diabetic and healthy rats as hypointense areas on T~2~*‐weighted MR images during the entire measurement period. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of iron‐oxide nanoparticles inside the cells of the pancreatic islets. A significant decrease in blood glucose levels in diabetic rats was observed; normal glycemia was reached 1 week after transplantation. This study, therefore, represents a promising step toward possible clinical application in human medicine. Magn Reson Med 52:1228–1233, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.