[Cryopreservation of microencapsulated rat islets].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of alginate-polylysine-alginate (APA) microcapsules in protecting rat islet cells in cryopreservation.

METHOD

Purified rat islet cells microencapsulated with APA and free islet cells were cryopreserved for one month and then thawed for culture in RPMI 1640 overnight. The morphology of the cells was observed and their function assessed by stimulated insulin release test.

RESULT

APA microcapsulation protected the fragile islets from freezing damage by increasing the recovery rate of the cells from 68.6%+/-2.9% to 94.7%+/-1.4% (P<0.05). After incubation with high glucose (16.7 mmol/L) solution, the insulin release from the encapsulated cells after cryopreservation significantly increased in comparison with that of the nonencapsulated cells (22.6+/-1.8 mU/L vs 11.7+/-1.5 mU/L, P<0.05). In high glucose solution containing theophylline, the calculated stimulation index of the encapsulated cells was about 3 times that of the nonencapsulated cells.

CONCLUSION

APA microencapsulation may significantly increase the post-thaw recovery and improve the function for cryopreserved rat islets.