In vitro and in vivo improvement of islet survival following treatment with nerve growth factor

Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been reported to play an important regulatory role in pancreatic beta-cell function. However, the usefulness of NGF in a transplantation setting is unknown. A marginal number of islet cells (260 islet equivalents/recipient) cultured for 24 hr with NGF (500 ng/ml) was syngeneically transplanted under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-induced diabetic Balb/c mice. Fluorescence microscopy was used to evaluate islet viability. Islet function was evaluated in vitro and in vivo by static assay and glucose tolerance test, respectively. In vitro, improved viability and survival were found in murine islets cultured in serum-free medium for 96 hr with 500 ng/ml NGF (P