- About this Journal
- Abstracting and Indexing
- Aims and Scope
- Article Processing Charges
- Articles in Press
- Author Guidelines
- Bibliographic Information
- Citations to this Journal
- Contact Information
- Editorial Board
- Editorial Workflow
- Free eTOC Alerts
- Publication Ethics
- Reviewers Acknowledgment
- Submit a Manuscript
- Subscription Information
- Table of Contents
International Journal of Endocrinology
Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 396524, 13 pages
doi:10.1155/2012/396524
Tolerance-Inducing Strategies in Islet Transplantation
1Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
2Department of General Surgery, Transplant Center, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
Received 15 December 2011; Accepted 8 March 2012
Academic Editor: A. N. Balamurugan
Copyright © 2012 Sumantha Bhatt et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Allogeneic islet transplantation is a promising approach for restoring normoglycemia in type 1 diabetic patients. Current use of immunosuppressive therapies for management of islet transplant recipients can be counterintuitive to islet function and can lead to complications in the long term. The induction of donor-specific tolerance eliminates the dependency on immunosuppression and allows recipients to retain responses to foreign antigens. The mechanisms by which tolerance is achieved involve the deletion of donor-reactive T cells, induction of T-cell anergy, immune deviation, and generation of regulatory T cells. This review will outline the various methods used for inducing donor-specific tolerance in islet transplantation and will highlight the previously unforeseen potential of tissue stromal cells in promoting islet engraftment.