Pig islets for islet xenotransplantation: current status and future perspectives

Abstract

Objective To review the current status and progress on pig islet xenotransplantation. Data sources Data used in this review were mainly from English literature of Pubmed database. The search terms were “pig islet” and “xenotransplantation”. Study selection The original articles and critical reviews selected were relevant to this review's theme. Results Pigs are suggested to be an ideal candidate for obtaining available islet cells for transplantation. However, the potential clinical application of pig islet is still facing challenges including inadequate yield of high-quality functional islets and xenorejection of the transplants. The former can be overcome mainly by selection of a suitable pathogen-free source herd and the development of isolation and purification technology. While the feasibility of successful preclinical pig islet xenotranplantation provides insights in the possible mechanisms of xenogeneic immune recognition and rejection to overwhelm the latter. In addition, the achievement of long-term insulin independence in diabetic models by means of distinct islet products and novel immunotherapeutic strategies is promising. Conclusions Pig islet xenotransplantation is one of the prospective treatments to bridge the gap between the needs of transplantation in patients with diabetes and available islet cells. Nonetheless, further studies and efforts are needed to translate obtained findings into tangible applications.