TITLE:
Differentiation of Pancreatic Ductal Epithelial Cells into Insulin Like Cell Clusters in Chronic Pancreatitis
AUTHORS:
Pondugala Pavan Kumar, Gaddipati Radhika, G. Venkat Rao, D. Nageshwar Reddy, M. Sasikala
KEYWORDS:
Chronic Pancreatitis, Ductal Epithelial Cells, Islet Like Clusters, Cell Differentiation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.5 No.12,
December
14,
2015
ABSTRACT: Background/Aim: Islet
regeneration in chronic pancreatitis (CP) is relevant for managing the
associated loss of endocrine function. Because ductal epithelial cells were
earlier demonstrated to differentiate into pancreatic endocrine mass, we
evaluated their proliferation and differentiation in chronic pancreatitis.
Methods: Pancreatic ducts were obtained from surgically resected pancreata of
12 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 15 control subjects. CK19 positive
ductal cells were evaluated for their proliferating and differentiating
abilities upon immunostaining with Ki 67 and hormone positivity for insulin and
glucagon, apart from monitoring Pdx 1 expression. Results: In comparison to the
controls, a greater number of proliferating pancreatic ductal epithelial cells
(PDECs) were observed under conditions of CP. The increase in Pdx1 expressing
PDECs (22%) and proliferating Pdx1 expressing PDECs (30%) was significant (P
βcell mass adjacent to the ducts
increased by 28%.Conclusion:
Enhanced capability of PDECs to proliferate and differentiate into endocrine
mass suggests that PDECs form a source of progenitors for cell based therapy in
chronic pancreatitis.