Improvement of subcutaneous bioartificial pancreas vascularization and function by coencapsulation of pig islets and mesenchymal stem cells in primates.

Insufficient oxygenation can limit the long-term survival of encapsulated islets in subcutaneous tissue. Transplantation of coencapsulated pig islets with adipose or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs or BM-MSCs, respectively) was investigated with regard to implant vascularization, oxygenation, and diabetes correction in primates. The in vivo impact of MSCs on graft oxygenation and neovascularization was assessed in rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes that were subcutaneously transplanted with islets coencapsulated with AMSCs (n = 8) or BM-MSCs (n = 6).