Microfluidic glucose stimulation reveals limited coordination of intracellular Ca2+ activity oscillations in pancreatic islets.

ABSTRACT: The pancreatic islet is a functional microorgan involved in maintaining normoglycemia through regulated secretion of insulin and other hormones. Extracellular glucose stimulates insulin secretion from islet beta cells through an increase in redox state, which can be measured by NAD(P)H autofluorescence. Glucose concentrations over approximately 7 mM generate synchronous oscillations in beta cell intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), which lead to pulsatile insulin secretion. Prevailing models assume that the pancreatic islet acts as a functional syncytium, and the whole islet [Ca2+]i response has been modeled in terms of islet bursting and pacemaker models. To test these models, we developed a microfluidic device capable of partially stimulating an islet, while allowing observation o

SUBMITTER: Rocheleau JV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC516492 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature