Survival of human fetal pancreatic explants in organ culture as reflected in insulin secretion and oxygen consumption.

Human fetal pancreatic explants were maintained in organ culture for up to 12 days in medium TC 199 or RPMI 1640 supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum. The explants were cultured at their air-liquid interface on a Millipore filter supported by surgical gel foam (ALI technique). The insulin accumulation in the culture medium decreased considerably when explants were maintained for 6 days in RPMI 1640. No corresponding decline was observed with medium TC 199. Four out of 9 RPMI 1640-cultured and 8 out of 11 TC 199-cultured explants responded with an increased insulin release when challenged with high glucose-plus-theophylline after one week of culture. With these explants there was a statistically significant correlation between their rates of respiration and insulin secretion. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between the fetal crown-heel length on the one hand--and the insulin content, insulin response, and oxygen uptake on the other--of the TC 199 cultured explants. There was no apparent change in the rate of insulin accumulation by addition of high glucose or amino acids to the TC 199 medium. It is concluded that oxygen uptake measurements, requiring only minute amounts of tissue, are useful for assessing the viability of human fetal pancreatic explants, and that the ALI technique for maintaining human fetal pancreas in culture offers no obvious advantage over that of the submersion technique. There is also evidence that suggests a better functional preservation in culture medium TC 199 than in RPMI 1640.