Transplantation sites for porcine islets

Aims/hypothesis Xenotransplantation has great potential to provide beta cell replacement and thereby provide a cure for large numbers of people with type 1 diabetes. Crucial to the success of xenotransplantation is establishment of the most viable sites for transplantation. Methods We compared porcine islet tissue transplanted into kidney, liver and spleen in pig recipients as assessed by blood glucose levels and IVGTT. Results Kidney was the superior site for porcine islet tissue transplantation, followed by liver then spleen. This was demonstrated by IVGTTs showing significant difference between the peak glucose levels: 22.8 ± 2.9 mmol/l for kidney compared with 26.8 ± 1.3 mmol/l for spleen and 24.7 ± 1.7 mmol/l for liver. Conclusions/interpretation Kidney grafts are not as feasible in humans and liver results were relatively poorer than spleen. For islet transplantation to be viable and successful in the longer term, there remains a need for future investigation of alternative sites.