Cryopreservation: in vitro results in rat pancreatic islets.

Cryopreservation is an effective method of islet storage and may facilitate clinical trials of islet transplantation. It was the aim of the present study to evaluate the in vitro viability of cryopreserved rat islets, including the response to nonglucose secretagogues and glucose oxidation. After pancreatic digestion via intraductal injection of collagenase, 75- to 200-micron Wistar rat islets were handpicked and cultured in RPMI 1640 (glucose 11.