Insulin release from monolayer cultures of adult rat pancreatic islets

The dynamics of insulin secretion were studied in monolayer cultures of adult rat pancreatic islet cells. Free cells were dissociated from adult rat pancreatic islets by the enzymatic dispersion method, with minor modifications, and were cultured on 25 mm round plastic cover slips. The monolayer culture consists mainly of B cells as identified by immunohistochemical staining. A small number of A, D and PP cells of pancreatic islets were also distinguished in the culture. After 14 days' culturing, the culture plate was placed in a Rose chamber through which the medium was pumped and from which the effluent was collected at various time intervals for insulin determination. It was observed that the physiological insulin secretion in cultured adult rat pancreas to glucose is characterized by an early phase of rapid onset and short duration and a late phase that rapidly increases and comes to a plateau for as long as the stimulus is applied. This result indicates that the monolayer culture of adult rat pancreatic islets is a promising method of supplying hybrid artificial endocrine pancreas.