Pancreas transplantation using type I and type II spontaneously diabetic rats--our experimental experience.

Pancreas transplantation (PTx) is the only therapy that can cure type 1 diabetes mellitus. With the recent advance of surgical procedures and immunosuppression, the outcome of PTx has become better than it used to be before, but some problems still remain. It is rather difficult to induce tolerance and to reverse rejection once it occurred because pancreas graft itself has a strong immunogenicity. Another important issue is regarding the recurrence of autoimmune disease in the pancreatic graft, therefore, some animal models are necessary to delineate and regulate those immune responses specific for PTx. Recently, PTx is also clinically applicable for type 2 diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease. It has been shown that insulin resistance was improved by PTx in type 2 diabetic recipients. In the current study, we have introduced some useful type 1 and type 2 diabetic models mainly based on our experimental experiences.