It is thought that the small intestine may provide a scaffold for pancreas regeneration. Herein, we investigated whether fetal pancreatic tissue could be transplanted into the segmental intestine in rats. Fetal pancreases from firefly luciferase transgenic Lewis rat embryos (embryonic day 14.5 and 15.5) were transplanted into streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic wild-type Lewis rats. As a scaffold for pancreatic development, rat small intestinal segments were utilized after the removal of mucosa, and fetal pancreases were grafted into the luminal surface through the stoma. We also transplanted fetal pancreases into the omentum. The survival of transplanted fetal pancreases was monitored by luciferase-derived photons and blood glucose levels. Transplanted fetal pancreas-derived photons were stable for 28 days, suggesting that transplanted fetal pancreatic tissues survived and that their intestinal blood supply was maintained.
2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2010.