The Ultrastructure of Pancreatic Tissue from Duct-Ligated Rats Implanted into Anterior Chamber of Rat Eyes

Abstract

Pancreatic tissue from rats with ligated pancreatic ducts was implanted into the anterior chamber of the eyes of diabetic and non-diabetic rats, and the ultrastructure of the implants studied afterwards at inervals ranging from 15 min to 4 weeks. During the first, avascular, stage, lasting for 2 days at most, serious damage to a number of the islet cells was noted. During the next, revascularization stage, the ultrastructure, especially in the 2–4-week-old implants, pointed to recovery and/or regeneration of islet cells; on the whole, both the β and α cells in the implants from the non-diabetic hosts showed a normal ultrastructure at this time, whereas in the implants from the diabetic hosts the β cells showed signs of heightened activity. The cells in the excretory ducts showed largely the same changes with the passage of time as the islet cells, but to a less pronounced degree. The ultrastructure of the duct cells at the end of a few weeks exhibited greater signs of activity in the implants from the diabetic hosts than did the duct cells in the implants from the non-diabeic hosts.