Effect of cell size on insulin secretion in human β-cells: a simulation study

By using a computational model of a single human β -cell, in this work we analyze the effect of cell size on insulin secretion. The model includes an electric component capable of reproducing the electrical behavior of the human β -cell, a buffered diffusion component to determine the concentration of Ca 2+ at any point of the intracellular space, and a secretion component that describes the distribution and mobilization of insulin granules throughout the simulated cell. The performed simulations suggest that smaller human β -cells could have faster secretory response with a greater amplitude than bigger cells. This phenomenon is due to the inverse proportionality relationship between the amplitude of the Ca 2+ transients in the submembrane domain of the simulated cells and the cells’ size.