Insulin cell mass is altered in Csf1op/Csf1op macrophage-deficient mice.

Macrophages play an important role in organ development, tissue homeostasis, and remodeling. Thus, we monitored the presence of F4/80-positive macrophages in the pancreas of wild-type mice, and some developmental features of this complex tissue were compared throughout life in wild-type and macrophage-deficient Csf1op/Csf1op (op/op) mice. The combined use of immunohistochemistry, morphometry, and cell quantification allows us to evaluate insulin and glucagon cell mass, total and insulin cell proliferation, and apoptosis in fetuses (E18.

Endocrine pancreas development in growth-retarded human fetuses.

Glucose intolerance in adults born with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) may involve peripheral insulin resistance and/or abnormal endocrine pancreas development during fetal life. We quantified insulin-containing cells in deceased human fetuses with IUGR (<10th percentile, n = 21) or normal growth (control fetuses, n = 15). Paraffin-embedded pancreatic tissues from fetuses older than 32 weeks were obtained from two fetopathology departments.