DALLAS, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggested that dietary restrictions or other strategies limiting fat formation might make pancreatic cell transplants more effective.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers using animal models discovered pancreatic islet cells transplanted into the liver fail not only because of immune rejection but also because of overexposure to toxic fats that are synthesized by the surrounding liver cells and flood the pancreatic transplants.
To date, a few hundred people have received transplants of complexes of pancreatic cells, called islets. The islets are implanted in the liver, where they at first make insulin, but over months or years their production often declines.
“By understanding how fat affects these cells, maybe we can improve islet transplant and make it last a bit longer,” said Dr. Roger Unger, a professor of internal medicine and senior author of the study.
The findings appear in the journal Diabetes.
