The therapeutical efficacy of islet transplantation in treating insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients is marked for a short time and the long-term efficacy is unsatisfactory. So 30 IDDM patients given tripterygiitotorum (T II) were compared with 24 IDDM patients without using any immunosuppressive agents after islet transplantation.
Results: prior to transplantation both the numbers of T lymphocyte subpopulations such as CD2, CD4, CD8 and the concentrations of C-peptide in all IDDM patients were lowered; after transplantation the numbers of CD2, CD4 were significantly elevated (P < 0.01), the ratio of CD4/CD8 in control group was higher than that in TII group (P < 0.01), while the concentration of C-peptide were greatly increased (normal: 2.24 +/- 0.34; before transplantation: 0.21 +/- 0.01; 15 days after transplantation: 3.24 +/- 1.2 ng/ml). The peak value of C-peptide in TII group began decreasing half a year after transplantation and it gradually dropped to the baseline level. The dose of insulin all were significantly reduced, and 3 patients stopped altogether. Half a year after transplantation TII group remained stable for the requirement of insulin, whereas the control group gradually increased the dose of insulin. (1) Islet transplantation could adjust the immunological disorder in IDDM patients, increase the numbers of T lymphocyte subset such as CD2, CD4, CD8 while the chronic immuno-rejective response occurred. (2) T II inhibited both the numbers and function of T lymphocyte subpopulation and normalized the ratio of CD4/CD8. (3) TII prolonged the survival time of grafts in IDDM patients and suppressed immunological rejection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)