The in vitro insulin secretion of human fetal pancreatic slices from diabetic and non-diabetic women--a methodical study.

The in vitro insulin secretion of pancreatic slices between the 11th and 15th week of pregnancy of fetuses from non diabetic ( FNDW ) and diabetic women ( FDW ) after incubation in media supplemented with different secretagogues was investigated in order to study the development of diabetic fetopathy during human pregnancy in diabetic women. There was a stimulatory effect on the insulin secretion in FNDW even if glucose alone was used, which became more pronounced if IBMX was added to the incubation medium. The insulin secretion was significantly enhanced in FDW compared to FNDW . This incubation model using fetal pancreatic slices seems to be appropriate for studying the ontogenesis of the human fetal pancreas.