Evaluation the effect of autologous bone marrow – derived mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment in diabetic rabbits

Abstract

Back ground: Type 1 diabetes is the result of an autoimmune attack against the insulin-producing beta cells of thepancreas. Current treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes typically involves a rigorous and invasive regimen oftesting blood glucose levels many times a day along with injections of recombinant insulin. Many recent researcheshave shown that stem cell therapy can be the best choice for treatment of this disease. The aims of this researchwere investigating regeneration of pancreatic beta cells of type 1 diabetic rabbits after stem cell transplantation.Materials and Methods: 32 rabbits weighting an average of (2.5 - 3 kg) were used in this experimental study, anddivided into 2 groups as follows; group A ( contains 16 controlled diabetic rabbits received insulin as a treatment )and group B ( contains 16 diabetic rabbits received autologous mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment).Theinduction of diabetes was achieved by a single dose of intravenous injection of the Alloxan, which was administeredto the rabbits via the marginal ear vein, mesenchymal stem cells were differentiated into insulin – producing cells andreimplanted into the rabbits of group B with daily monitoring of blood glucose level and body weight.Results: The insulin – producing cells regulated the hyperglycemia resulted from diabetic rabbits , 7 to 9 days afterreimplantation the blood glucose level were decreased from about( 400 mg/dl into 180 mg/dl).Conclusions: Islet-like functional cells can be differentiated from bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs),which may be a new procedure for clinical diabetes stem -cell therapy, these cells controlled blood glucose level indiabetic rabbits as the effect of insulin. MSCs play an important role in diabetes therapy by islet differentiation andtransplantation.