Islet, Langerhans

Krenacs, T., Laszik, Z., and DobU, E. (1989) Application of immnnogold-silver staining and immunoenzymatic methods in mnltiple labeling of hnman pancreatic Langerhans islet cells. Acta Histochem. 85, 79-85. 

In the body, insulin is synthesized by j3-cells of Langerhans islets in the pancreas. The rate of formation changes depending on the type of food consnmed, gastrointestinal hormones, and nenronal control. Insnlin circnlating in the body has a biological half-life of about 5 min. It is qnickly broken down by enzymes and is removed from the blood by the liver or kidneys. 

The extrathyroidal effects of iodine are of interest to physicians, due to its possible functions in many other organs. Iodine appears to be a vital trace element that is found in higher concentrations not only in the thyroid, but also in other tissues, such as salivary glands, lacrimal glands, stomach mucous membrane, plexus choroideus, lading mammary gland, pancreas, Langerhans islets and ciliar muscle of the eye. The distribution is not random, but it is related to the action of a specific active transport mechanism, the sodium iodide symporter (NIS). 

An interesting strategy in tissue engineering is the encapsulation or immunoisolation of pancreatic and hepatic cells [ 162] (Fig. 25.4). Langerhans islets have been enclosed in chitosan/calcium alginate capsules with the aim of developing an artificial pancreas for the treatment of diabetes mellitus [163]. 

As biomolecule-responsive hydrogels that undergo changes in volume by the changes in physicochemical properties of polymer backbone, there are glucose-responsive hydrogels for a potential autonomous treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Insulin is a hormone secreted from the Langerhans islets of the pancreas... 

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