Isolation and purification of islets of langerhans from adult pigs

Objective To study the method for the isolation and purification of islets from adult pig.Methods Islets were isolated using digestion by ductal injection of collagenase,and purified by centrifugation on Nycodenz gradients.Results From each organ,(397 000±185 963)islets,corresponding to (9 860±3 043)islets per gram of pancreas,were obtained.After purification the recovery was (148 000±89 000)islets/pancreas(3 750±493)islets per gram of pancreas;the purity of the final preparation was ＞95%.The culture of the islets in vitro confirmed the viable cells.Conclusions The islets produced by this method could provide a possible source of purified,physically functional graft for dinical transplantation. Key words: Pig; Islet; Isolation; Purification