Endocrine Abstracts

Neurotensin is widely expressed in the brain and gastrointestinal tract. Centrally, neurotensin acts as a neuropeptide to suppress appetite, induce hypothermia and modulate analgesia. Peripherally, neurotensin inhibits gastric emptying and is reported to aid lipid absorption. There is also evidence that neurotensin can influence glucose homeostasis, though this role is contentious. We have found that neurotensin acutely improves insulin release and glucose tolerance in mice, a...

Background: Islet transplantation is an established treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, many recipients do not achieve independence from exogenous insulin since up to 50–70% of islets are lost post-transplant. An important factor determining transplant success is graft vascularisation. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a key pro-survival and proliferation factor. Here, we investigate for the first time if EGFR overexpression in pancreatic islets ...

Background and Aims: β cell connectivity is a feature of pancreatic islets in vitro but its existence in vivo, when innervated and continuously perfused with blood, has not yet been demonstrated. We imaged islets engrafted in the anterior chamber of the mouse eye (ACE) to explore this question.Methods: Mouse (C57BL6, Ins1Cre::GCaM6mf/f) or human islets infected with adenovirus to express GCaMP6m, were engrafted and Ca<su...