J Korean Soc Transplant.  2000 Jun;14(1):47-58.

Study for the Improvement of Early Implantation and Long Term Graft Survival in Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation by Induction of Angiogenesis with Gene Transfection of Vascuar Endothelial Growth Factor

• Kim SC
• Kim TH
• We YM
• Park HY
• Cho KM
• Han DJ

Abstract

PURPOSE: Transplantation of pancreas islet has been worldwidely studied as a one of therapeutic modalities to achieve the insulin independence. We studied whether the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on pancreas islets with liposomal VEGF gene transfer could improve the efficacy of early implantation and long term graft survival in pancreatic islet cell transplantation.
METHODS
Syngenic pancreas islets were transplanted beneath the renal capsule. Islets were transfected with plasmid VEGF c-DNA using cationic liposome DMRIE-C. Glucose metabolism and histologic findings were compared between the groups transplanted with VEGF DNA containing islets (n=5) and the control group with (n=5) or without (n=4) local recombinant VEGF adminstration during islet transplant.
RESULTS
Glucose was controlled at 5.5 days after transplantation in control group without r-VEGF adminstration, at 4 days in group with recombinant VEGF adminstration, and at 6.6 days in group with VEGF DNA transfected islets. Euglycemia was maintained over 150 days in control group. However, graft failure was developed in 22 days after transplantation in group with VEGF DNA transfected islet. Histologically there were severe infiltrations of neutrophil and lymphocyte in VEGF DNA transfected grafts from 5 days after transplantation.
CONCLUSION
Although VEGF could be a favorable angiogenic factor in pancreas islet transplantation, VEGF expression following VEGF DNA transfection into islets could not increase the graft survival due to inflammatory process. More investigations are needed to clarify the mechanism on destructive process of islets after gene transfection into islets, and another approaches to get the effect of gene transfection should be followed.

Keyword

Pancreas islet transplantion; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Gene transfection

MeSH Terms

Angiogenesis Inducing Agents
Cell Transplantation*
DNA
Endothelial Growth Factors*
Glucose
Graft Survival*
Insulin
Islets of Langerhans Transplantation
Islets of Langerhans*
Liposomes
Lymphocytes
Metabolism
Neutrophils
Pancreas
Plasmids
Transfection*
Transplants*
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents
DNA
Endothelial Growth Factors
Glucose
Insulin
Liposomes
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A