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Immunological reversal of
autoimmune diabetes without
hematopoietic replacement of
beta cells.
Department of Pathology and
Immunology, Washington
University School of
Medicine,
St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. anish@pathology.wustl.edu
Type 1
diabetes mellitus results from
the autoimmune destruction of
the beta cells
of the pancreatic
islets of Langerhans and is
recapitulated in the nonobese
diabetic
strain of mice. In an
attempt to rescue islet loss,
diabetic mice were made
normoglycemic by islet
transplantation and immunization
with Freund's
complete adjuvant
along with multiple injections
of allogeneic male splenocytes.
This treatment allowed for
survival of transplanted islets
and recovery of
endogenous beta
cell function in a proportion of
mice, but with no evidence
for allogeneic splenocyte-derived
differentiation of new islet
beta cells. Control
of the
autoimmune disease at a crucial
time in diabetogenesis can
result in recovery of beta cell
function.
