The dispersed pancreas: Transplantation without islet purification in totally pancreatectomized dogs

Forty-eight mongrel dogs were made diabetic by total pancreatectomy. Fifteen untreated pancreatectomized animals survived for a mean of 7±1 (SEM) days. Thirty-three dogs were divided into five groups and received autotransplants to the spleen of pancreatic fragments dispersed by collagenase digestion for 0, 10, 15, 20 or 25 minutes. Animals transplanted with tissue digested for 0 minutes or for 10 minutes remained hyperglycaemic (mean survival 22±12 days and 28±9 days). Normoglycaemia occurred in all but one of 21 dogs transplanted with tissue digested for 15-25 minutes. Two weeks after transplantation tolbutamide and glucose tolerance curves in the group receiving tissue digested for 20 minutes most closely resembled those of normal animals. Glucose tolerance test K values in dogs receiving tissue digested for 15, 20 and 25 minutes were 1.20±0.19 percent, 1.60±0.25 percent and 0.78±0.08 percent, respectively. The K values of the transplanted animals were significantly different from the K value of 0.35±0.05 percent in the apancreatic control dogs (p < 0.001). The mean K value of the dogs transplanted with tissue digested for 20 minutes was significantly better than the value in the dogs transplanted with tissue digested for 25 minutes (p < 0.02), but was significantly less than the K value (3.30±0.27 percent) obtained in 22 normal control dogs (p < 0.005). Hyperglycaemia recurred immediately following splenectomy in 12 normoglycaemic dogs 10 weeks after transplantation and all animals died. The remaining normoglycaemic transplanted dogs survived for at least six months. Histological examination of spleens from the transplanted animals showed the presence of islet and exocrine tissue within the splenic pulp with no apparent destructive effect on surrounding splenic parenchyma.