Transplantation of cryopreserved pancreatic islets into the portal vein.
Pancreatic islet cells of rats obtained by the collagenase digestion method were preserved from 7 to 10 days at -80 degrees C in a deep freezer or at -196 degrees C in liquid nitrogen with Dulbecco modified Eagle's medium, supplemented with 10% or 20% DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide); thawing was performed in a 37 degree C water bath. Cryopreserved islets were morphologically almost intact, and possessed approximately 50% of the insulin secretion activity of the control groups. About 300 pancreatic islets preserved at -196 degrees C with 20% DMSO were transplanted into the portal veins of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Rats recovered from the diabetic state, and the normalized condition was maintained up to 20 weeks, although 4 weeks were needed before blood and urine glucose reached normal levels after transplantation. Intact B cells were found in the transplanted islet cell masses in the liver of the recipients, but B cells of the recipient's pancreases (streptozotocin-treated rats) showed a marked decrease, as well as degenerative changes.