Noninvasive Tracking of Encapsulated Insulin Producing Cells Labelled with Magnetic Microspheres by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Figure 4

Transplantation of encapsulated MM-labelled MIN6 cells. Diabetic mice were transplanted with either encapsulated MM-labelled or unlabelled MIN6 (1.5 × 10⁶ cells/mouse) into the peritoneal cavity and monitored for up to 30 days after transplantation. (a) Body weights (g) of animals transplanted with either encapsulated MM-labelled or unlabelled MIN6 cells and empty microcapsules. Values are mean ± SEM ( in each group). Broken arrows denote the group transplanted with empty microcapsules. (b) Blood glucose levels (BGL) of mice transplanted with either encapsulated MM-labelled or unlabelled MIN6 cells and empty microcapsules. Normoglycemia was achieved in 100% of mice receiving both encapsulated MM-labelled and unlabelled MIN6 cells. Values are mean ± SEM ( in each group). (c) OGTT done at day 16 after transplantation after normalization of BGL. Values are mean ± SEM ( for encapsulated MM-labelled and unlabelled MIN6  and   for nondiabetic controls); at 40 and 120 min, respectively, at 40 min nondiabetic control > encapsulated unlabelled MIN6 and at 120 min nondiabetic control > encapsulated MM-labelled and unlabelled MIN6 (one-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey-Kramer Multiple Comparison test). (d) Graft retrieval from mice transplanted with empty microcapsules at day 15 (i) and encapsulated MM-labelled MIN6 at day 29 (ii). Fluorescently labelled MM can still be detected on retrieved grafts at day 29 after transplantation (iii). Bar is 200 μm for (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)