Type 1 diabetes is clinically characterized as the loss of control of glucose homeostasis due to the reduced number of insulinproducing cells. Long-term glycemic control after implantation could be maintained by preserving the cell viability and tissue-specific functions during the process of microencapsulation. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2018) 42: 297-306 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Improvement of the insulin secretion from beta cells encapsulated in alginate/poly-Lhistidine/alginate microbeads by platelet-rich plasma 1,2, 2 2 2 1,2 1,2,3 Gökhan DURUKSU *, Selen POLAT , Leyla KAYİŞ , Nur EKİMCİ GÜRCAN , Gülçin GACAR , Yusufhan YAZIR 1 Center for Stem Cell and Gene Therapies Research and Practice, Kocaeli University, İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey 2 Department of Stem Cells, Institute of Health Sciences, Kocaeli University, İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey 3 Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Kocaeli University, İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: Type 1 diabetes is clinically characterized as the loss of control of glucose homeostasis due to the reduced number of insulinproducing cells. Long-term glycemic control after implantation could be maintained by preserving the cell viability and tissue-specific functions during the process of microencapsulation. In this study, alginate solution was supplemented with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to improve the viability and preserve the cell functions during the encapsulation of a beta cell line (BRIN-BD11). Cell viability was assessed and insulin secretion and insulin stimulation index were evaluated. The polymerization of alginate with PRP enhanced the viability up to 61% in the alginate microbeads. PRP supplementation to the alginate composition not only increased the number of viable cells by , but the insulin secretion also improved by about 66%. The stimulation index, however, was not affected by the PRP supplementation. Key words: Calcium alginate microbeads, diabetes, droplet method, pancreatic beta cells, insulin 1. Introduction The transplantation of insulin-producing beta cells or pancreatic islets promises a cure for .
