Evaluation of a human placenta-derived hydrogel to support glucose sensitive insulin secretion in human donor islets

Abstract

Diabetes is a complex disease that principally arises from a failure of function in the pancreatic islet beta cell. Intensifying studies in human islets will accelerate development of clinically relevant therapeutics. Access to human islets is limited and compounded because human islets loose function rapidly and do not survive beyond a few days in current culture conditions. During islet isolation disruption of the islet microenvironment and loss of trophic support subject islets to cellular stress that impairs islet function and survival. A human placenta-derived hydrogel has been evaluated for support of human islet function in culture. Human islets from non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic donors were studied and beta cell function assessed by stimulated insulin secretion. Human islets from non-diabetic donors showed enhanced insulin secretion after exposure to the hydrogel with 291% increase in insulin secretion. Human islets from type 2 diabetic donors remained mechanistically responsive to the hydrogel having enhanced insulin secretion. Exposure to a human placenta-derived hydrogel offers a new paradigm to enhance human islet function in ex vivo culture.