Difference in effect of cultured fetal pancreas transplants on retinal and renal capillary basement membrane thickness in diabetic mice.

Abstract

The goal of endocrine pancreas transplants should be the prevention of diabetic complications. The differential effect of grafts of organ-cultured fetal mouse pancreas on diabetic complications in the retina and kidney was tested by comparing capillary basement membrane thickness (BMT) in mice made diabetic with streptozotocin and transplanted either early or late, or treated with insulin. BALB/c female mice were grafted with a single organ-cultured syngeneic fetal pancreas at either 3 weeks or 7 months after induction of diabetes. Controls were sex- and age-matched nondiabetic; diabetic untreated; and diabetic insulin-treated mice. All mice were killed at 20 months of age and their eyes and..