Insulin secretion by fetal human pancreatic islets of Langerhans in prolonged organ culture.

Abstract

Fetal human pancreata, obtained from legally-induced abortions, were placed in organ culture to study their capacity to produce insulin over periods in vitro of between 18 and 40 days. Specimens obtained by hysterotomy usually showed increasing insulin secretion as measured by the insulin content of the media at each twice-weekly medium change. In most instances, relatively little insulin was produced during the first 7-10 days, but thereafter insulin secretion rapidly increased. In contrast, most specimens from prostaglandin-induced abortions showed high levels of insulin in the medium early in the culture period but little thereafter, indicating rapid release of insulin from damaged tissue..