Le diabète de type 2 est une pathologie chronique complexe associant une altération de sécrétion de l'insuline par le pancréas et une résistance à l'insuline au niveau des tissus périphériques, notamment au niveau du foie et du muscle squelettique. Son origine est multifactorielle, alliant des anomalies génétiques et environnementales, en particulier nutritionnelles. Un des mécanismes par lesquels les facteurs nutritionnels (comme les glucides et les lipides en excès) contribuent au développement du diabète et à son aggravation est la glucolipotoxicité. En effet, l'élévation de la glycémie et des lipides plasmatiques, ainsi que l'accumulation ectopique de lipides dans les tissus, participent au développement de l'insulinorésistance hépatique et musculaire et aux dysfonctions des cellules bêta, en partie via l'induction d'un stress métabolique, impliquant notamment le stress oxydant, le stress du réticulum endoplasmique (RE) et la perturbation de l'homéostasie calcique. Nous avons étudié les effets de la glucotoxicité et de la lipotoxicité dans les cellules bêta pancréatiques et les mécanismes impliqués. Nous nous sommes aussi intéressés à des traitements potentiellement protecteurs de la fonction bêta-pancréatique. Nous avons fait l'hypothèse que les effets bénéfiques de l'inhibition du système rénine-angiotensine sur l'incidence du diabète de type 2 chez l'homme étaient médiés par une action directe sur les cellules bêta. Nos résultats montrent que le glucose chronique à une dose élevée entraine une réduction de la sécrétion d'insuline des cellules bêta des îlots de Langerhans humains par une action conjointe sur le stress du RE, le stress oxydant et l'homéostasie calcique. L'inhibition du SRA a permis de restaurer cette fonction grâce notamment à une action inhibitrice sur la voie Phospholipase C-IP3-Calcium / This study addressed the hypothesis that inhibiting the soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH)-mediated degradation of epoxy-fatty acids, notably epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, has an additional impact against cardiovascular damage in type 2 diabetes, beyond its previously demonstrated beneficial effect on glucose homeostasis. The cardiovascular and metabolic effects of the sEH inhibitor t- AUCB (10 mg/l in drinking water) were compared to those of the sulfonylurea glibenclamide (80 mg/l), both administered for 8 weeks in FVB mice subjected to a high-fat diet (HFD, 60% fat) for 16 weeks. Mice on control chow diet (10% fat) and non-treated HFD mice served as controls. Glibenclamide and t-AUCB similarly prevented the increased fasting glycemia in HFD mice but only t-AUCB improved glucose tolerance and decreased gluconeogenesis, without modifying weight gain. Moreover, t-AUCB reduced adipose tissue inflammation, plasma free fatty acids and LDL cholesterol, and prevented hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, only the sEH inhibitor improved endothelium-dependent relaxations to acetylcholine, assessed by myography in isolated coronary arteries. This improvement was related to a restoration of epoxyeicosatrienoic acid and nitric oxide pathways, as shown by the increased inhibitory effects of the NO-synthase and cytochrome P450 epoxygenase inhibitors, L-NA and MSPPOH, on these relaxations. Moreover, t-AUCB decreased cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis and inflammation, and improved diastolic function, as demonstrated by the increased E/A ratio (echocardiography) and decreased slope of the enddiastolic pressure-volume relation (invasive hemodynamics). These results demonstrate that she inhibition improves coronary endothelial function and prevents cardiac remodeling and diastolic dysfunction in obese type 2 diabetic mice

The aim of the study was to examine the immune response and different immunoprotective strategies in experimental type 1 diabetes mellitus. The autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells that leads to type 1 diabetes is complex and incompletely understood. Activated immune cells infiltrate the pancreatic islets at an early stage of the disease, and they produce and release cytokines, which may contribute to β-cell dysfunction and death. Several immunomodulatory agents with different mechanisms have recently been developed in order to suppress cytokine function such as MDL 201, 449A, a novel transcriptional inhibitor of TNF-α. At least in rodent β-cells, many of the toxic actions of cytokines depend on the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO). Aminoguanidine (AG), an inhibitor of NO formation, might therefore be an interesting compound for prevention of type 1 diabetes. Another substance that could influence the course of events leading to this disease is the pituitary hormone prolactin (PRL), since it has the ability to activate different immune cells. We have studied the effects of AG, PRL and MDL 201, 449A on the development of hyperglycaemia and pancreatic insulitis in multiple low dose streptozotocin induced autoimmune diabetes in mice. The natural course after syngeneic islet transplantation of pancreatic islets in NOD mice, a model of type 1 diabetes mellitus was also investigated. AG and PRL were also studied in vitro on cultured isolated rodent pancreatic islets. We suggest that the insulin-producing cells are specifically targeted by the inflammatory response after syngeneic islet transplantation in type 1 diabetic mice. Our data do not exclude a role for NO in type 1 diabetes, but it raises concerns about the use of AG as a therapeutic agent since an increased mortality and no decline in diabetes frequency was observed. AG did not seem to be directly harmful to β-cell function, but it could affect pancreatic and islet blood flows. PRL and MDL 201, 449A could both counteract hyperglycaemia and insulitis in the early phase of autoimmune diabetes.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / As associações entre obesidade, doença hepática gordurosa não alcoólica (NAFLD) e diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2) são bem estabelecidas, e o sistema renina-angiotensina (SRA) pode proporcionar uma ligação entre eles. O bloqueio do SRA em diferentes níveis pode estar relacionado a respostas na resistência à insulina, remodelagem do pâncreas e do fígado em um modelo de obesidade induzida por dieta. Camundongos C57BL/6 foram alimentados com uma dieta hiperlipídica (HF) durante oito semanas e depois tratados com alisquireno (50 mg/kg/dia), enalapril (30 mg/kg/dia) ou losartana (10 mg/kg/dia) por um período adicional de seis semanas. As drogas foram incorporadas na dieta. Avaliou-se a massa corporal (MC), pressão arterial, consumo e gasto energético (GE), metabolismo da glicose e lipídico, histopatologia pancreática e hepática, análise hormonal, imunohistoquímica, perfil gênico e/ou proteico do SRA no pâncreas, gliconeogênese hepática, sinalização da insulina, oxidação e acúmulo lipídico. Todos os inibidores do SRA reduziram significativamente o aumento da pressão arterial nos camundongos alimentados com dieta HF. O tratamento com enalapril, mas não alisquireno ou losartana, reduziu o ganho de MC e a ingestão alimentar; aumentou o GE; amenizou a intolerância à glicose e resistência à insulina; melhorou a massa de células alfa e beta; impediu a redução da adiponectina plasmática e restaurou a sensibilidade à leptina. Além disso, o tratamento com enalapril melhorou a expressão proteica nas ilhotas pancreáticas de Pdx1, GLUT2, ECA2 e do receptor Mas. O tratamento com losartana apresentou uma elevação na expressão proteica de AT2R no pâncreas. No fígado, a administração de enalapril atenuou a esteatose hepática, o acúmulo de triglicerídeos e preveniu o aumento dos níveis de PEPCK, G6Pase e do GLUT2. Do mesmo modo, o enalapril melhorou a transdução dos sinais da insulina através da via IRS-1/Akt, bem como reduziu os níveis de expressão gênica e/ou proteica de PPAR-gama, SREBP-1c e FAS. Esses resultados sugerem que a inibição da ECA com enalapril atenuou muitos efeitos deletérios provocados pelo consumo da dieta HF, incluindo: normalização da morfologia e função das ilhotas pancreáticas, proteção contra a resistência à insulina e acúmulo de lipídios no fígado. Estes efeitos protetores do enalapril podem ser atribuídos, principalmente, à redução no ganho de MC e ingestão alimentar, aumento do GE, ativação do eixo ECA2/Ang(1-7)/receptor Mas e dos níveis de adiponectina, o que promove uma melhora na ação hepática da insulina e leptina, normalização da gliconeogênese, amenizando a NAFLD. / The associations between obesity, NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and diabetes are well established, and the reninangiotensin system (RAS) may provide a link among them. . The blocking of the RAS at different levels may be related to responses on insulin resistance, remodeling of the pancreas and liver in a model of diet-induced obesity. Mice (C57BL/6) were fed on a high-fat (HF) diet for 8 weeks and then treated with aliskiren (50 mg/kg/day), enalapril (30 mg/kg/day) or losartan (10 mg/kg/day) for an additional 6 weeks. The drugs were incorporated into the diet. We assessed body mass (BM), blood pressure, energy intake and expenditure (EE), glucose and lipid metabolism, pancreatic and hepatic histopathology, hormonal analysis, immunohistochemistry, the expression profile of genes and/or proteins affecting pancreas RAS, hepatic gluconeogenesis, insulin signaling and lipid oxidation and accumulation. All RAS inhibitors significantly attenuated the increased blood pressure in mice fed a HF diet. Treatment with enalapril, but not aliskiren or losartan, significantly attenuated BM gain, increased EE, enhanced the glucose intolerance and insulin resistance; improved the alpha and beta cell mass; prevented the reduction of plasma adiponectin and restored leptin sensibility. Furthermore, enalapril treatment improved the protein expression of the pancreatic islet Pdx1, GLUT2, ACE2 and Mas receptors. Losartan treatment showed the greatest AT2R expression in the pancreas. In the liver, the enalapril administration improved hepatic steatosis, triglycerides and prevented the increase hepatic protein levels of PEPCK, G6Pase and GLUT2. Additionally, enalapril improved the deleterious effects on the HF diet by upregulating the signal transduction through the IRS-1/Akt pathway, as well as downregulatin the protein levels and mRNA expression of PPAR-gamma, SREBP-1c and FAS. Our findings indicate that ACE inhibition with enalapril attenuated several of the deleterious effects of the HF diet. In summary, enalapril appears to be responsible for the normalization of islet morphology and function, a protective role against hepatic insulin resistance and lipid accumulation in the liver. These protective effects of enalapril were attributed, primarily, to the reduction in body mass gain and food intake, increasing EE, the enhancement of the ACE2/Ang (1-7)/Mas receptor axis and adiponectin levels, enhancing hepatic insulin action, leptin and gluconeogenesis, and attenuating NAFLD.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / As associações entre obesidade, doença hepática gordurosa não alcoólica (NAFLD) e diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2) são bem estabelecidas, e o sistema renina-angiotensina (SRA) pode proporcionar uma ligação entre eles. O bloqueio do SRA em diferentes níveis pode estar relacionado a respostas na resistência à insulina, remodelagem do pâncreas e do fígado em um modelo de obesidade induzida por dieta. Camundongos C57BL/6 foram alimentados com uma dieta hiperlipídica (HF) durante oito semanas e depois tratados com alisquireno (50 mg/kg/dia), enalapril (30 mg/kg/dia) ou losartana (10 mg/kg/dia) por um período adicional de seis semanas. As drogas foram incorporadas na dieta. Avaliou-se a massa corporal (MC), pressão arterial, consumo e gasto energético (GE), metabolismo da glicose e lipídico, histopatologia pancreática e hepática, análise hormonal, imunohistoquímica, perfil gênico e/ou proteico do SRA no pâncreas, gliconeogênese hepática, sinalização da insulina, oxidação e acúmulo lipídico. Todos os inibidores do SRA reduziram significativamente o aumento da pressão arterial nos camundongos alimentados com dieta HF. O tratamento com enalapril, mas não alisquireno ou losartana, reduziu o ganho de MC e a ingestão alimentar; aumentou o GE; amenizou a intolerância à glicose e resistência à insulina; melhorou a massa de células alfa e beta; impediu a redução da adiponectina plasmática e restaurou a sensibilidade à leptina. Além disso, o tratamento com enalapril melhorou a expressão proteica nas ilhotas pancreáticas de Pdx1, GLUT2, ECA2 e do receptor Mas. O tratamento com losartana apresentou uma elevação na expressão proteica de AT2R no pâncreas. No fígado, a administração de enalapril atenuou a esteatose hepática, o acúmulo de triglicerídeos e preveniu o aumento dos níveis de PEPCK, G6Pase e do GLUT2. Do mesmo modo, o enalapril melhorou a transdução dos sinais da insulina através da via IRS-1/Akt, bem como reduziu os níveis de expressão gênica e/ou proteica de PPAR-gama, SREBP-1c e FAS. Esses resultados sugerem que a inibição da ECA com enalapril atenuou muitos efeitos deletérios provocados pelo consumo da dieta HF, incluindo: normalização da morfologia e função das ilhotas pancreáticas, proteção contra a resistência à insulina e acúmulo de lipídios no fígado. Estes efeitos protetores do enalapril podem ser atribuídos, principalmente, à redução no ganho de MC e ingestão alimentar, aumento do GE, ativação do eixo ECA2/Ang(1-7)/receptor Mas e dos níveis de adiponectina, o que promove uma melhora na ação hepática da insulina e leptina, normalização da gliconeogênese, amenizando a NAFLD. / The associations between obesity, NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and diabetes are well established, and the reninangiotensin system (RAS) may provide a link among them. . The blocking of the RAS at different levels may be related to responses on insulin resistance, remodeling of the pancreas and liver in a model of diet-induced obesity. Mice (C57BL/6) were fed on a high-fat (HF) diet for 8 weeks and then treated with aliskiren (50 mg/kg/day), enalapril (30 mg/kg/day) or losartan (10 mg/kg/day) for an additional 6 weeks. The drugs were incorporated into the diet. We assessed body mass (BM), blood pressure, energy intake and expenditure (EE), glucose and lipid metabolism, pancreatic and hepatic histopathology, hormonal analysis, immunohistochemistry, the expression profile of genes and/or proteins affecting pancreas RAS, hepatic gluconeogenesis, insulin signaling and lipid oxidation and accumulation. All RAS inhibitors significantly attenuated the increased blood pressure in mice fed a HF diet. Treatment with enalapril, but not aliskiren or losartan, significantly attenuated BM gain, increased EE, enhanced the glucose intolerance and insulin resistance; improved the alpha and beta cell mass; prevented the reduction of plasma adiponectin and restored leptin sensibility. Furthermore, enalapril treatment improved the protein expression of the pancreatic islet Pdx1, GLUT2, ACE2 and Mas receptors. Losartan treatment showed the greatest AT2R expression in the pancreas. In the liver, the enalapril administration improved hepatic steatosis, triglycerides and prevented the increase hepatic protein levels of PEPCK, G6Pase and GLUT2. Additionally, enalapril improved the deleterious effects on the HF diet by upregulating the signal transduction through the IRS-1/Akt pathway, as well as downregulatin the protein levels and mRNA expression of PPAR-gamma, SREBP-1c and FAS. Our findings indicate that ACE inhibition with enalapril attenuated several of the deleterious effects of the HF diet. In summary, enalapril appears to be responsible for the normalization of islet morphology and function, a protective role against hepatic insulin resistance and lipid accumulation in the liver. These protective effects of enalapril were attributed, primarily, to the reduction in body mass gain and food intake, increasing EE, the enhancement of the ACE2/Ang (1-7)/Mas receptor axis and adiponectin levels, enhancing hepatic insulin action, leptin and gluconeogenesis, and attenuating NAFLD.

O Diabetes mellitus (DM) do tipo 1 é uma doença causada pela destruição, por mecanismo auto-imune, das células beta das ilhotas pancreáticas, produtoras de insulina. O tratamento convencional da doença é realizado por meio de injeções diárias de insulina exógena. O transplante de ilhotas pancreáticas inclui-se, atualmente, como uma das alternativas terapêuticas à insulinoterapia. Entretanto, para atingir a insulino-independência, é necessário transplantar um grande número de ilhotas por paciente. O conhecimento do mecanismo de proliferação das células beta pode possibilitar a realização do transplante a partir da expansão celular ex vivo. A glicose é um dos principais indutores da proliferação de células beta. Neste trabalho, foi estabelecida e executada a tecnologia de isolamento e purificação de ilhotas pancreáticas humanas, visando sua estimulação com glicose. Para identificar genes regulados por glicose nestas ilhotas, foi utilizada a técnica de hibridização subtrativa SSH, associada ao rastreamento da biblioteca através de macroarranjos de DNA. Num primeiro rastreamento, foram identificados dois fragmentos gênicos induzidos pela glicose. Um destes apresentou homologia com uma proteína hipotética humana de função desconhecida e o segundo com o receptor de polipetídeo pancreático. Este trabalho permitiu a identificação de novos genes regulados pela glicose em ilhotas pancreáticas humanas, os quais podem estar relacionados à proliferação celular deste tecido. / Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is caused by autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic islet b-cells. Treatment is generally approached by daily subcutaneous injections of exogenous insulin. Nowadays, pancreatic islet transplantation is considered as an effective alternative treatment to insulin therapy. However, in order to reach insulin-independence, a large number of islets is required for each patient. Knowledge of the mechanisms regulating islet b-cell proliferation may allow ex-vivo b-cell expansion prior to transplant. Glucose is considered one of the main inducers of islet b-cells proliferation. We established and executed the technology of human islet isolation and purification. The islets were then stimulated in culture with glucose. In order to identify glucose-regulated genes in cultured human islets, we utilized the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method, followed by cDNA library screening by DNA macroarrays. Preliminary screening allowed us to isolate two cDNAs displaying glucose regulation, one of which is similar to a human hypothetical protein of unknown function and the other shows similarity to the pancreatic polypeptide receptor. This work allowed identification of glucose-regulated genes in human pancreatic islets, which may be related to cell proliferation in this tissue.

Diabetes mellitus tipo 1 resulta da produção insuficiente ou da ausência de insulina, decorrente da destruição de células β, por mecanismo auto-imune. O tratamento deste tipo de diabetes consiste na administração subcutânea de insulina exógena. Recentemente, foi demonstrado que o transplante de ilhotas pancreáticas é capaz de tornar o portador de diabetes tipo 1 independente de insulina exógena. Apesar do sucesso alcançado, a necessidade permanente de imunossupressão é uma das principais barreiras para que o transplante de ilhotas possa ser realizado em número maior de pacientes. Assim, o desenvolvimento de novas metodologias que evitem a rejeição do enxerto, como o macro e o microencapsulamento de ilhotas, continua sendo crucial para o estabelecimento definitivo do transplante de ilhotas como opção terapêutica no tratamento de diabetes tipo 1. Neste trabalho, foi padronizado um modelo animal para avaliar, in vivo, a funcionalidade das ilhotas pancreáticas humanas isoladas e purificadas na Unidade de Ilhotas Pancreáticas Humanas do IQUSP. Ratos NIH nude foram tornados diabéticos através de injeção de estreptozotocina para o implante de ilhotas pancreáticas humanas nuas e microencapsuladas. As ilhotas foram microencapsuladas em Biodritina, um novo heteropolissacarídeo patenteado e cedido ao nosso laboratório, tendo sido possível padronizar a produção de microcápsulas uniformes e homogêneas, com tamanho médio entre 400µm e 600 µm. A reversão do diabetes ocorreu em 24% dos ratos nude transplantados com ilhotas pancreáticas humanas nuas. Por outro lado, não observamos reversão do diabetes quando ilhotas encapsuladas foram implantadas, apesar do teste de atividade funcional realizado in vitro ter demonstrado que elas continuam a secretar insulina e a responder ao estímulo com glicose após o encapsulamento. Para elucidar este efeito, cápsulas vazias foram implantadas em ratos nude e em ratos imunocompetentes, os quais desenvolveram processo inflamatório acompanhado de processo fibrótico no local do implante. Estudo imuno-histoquímico está sendo realizado para esclarecer a natureza e a intensidade destes processos. / Type 1 diabetes mellitus results from insufficient or absence of insulin production, as a consequence of destruction of pancreatic β cells, by an auto-imune mechanism. Treatment for this type of diabetes consists of subcutaneous administration of exogenous insulin. Recently, it has been demonstrated that pancreatic islet cell transplantation is capable of rendering type I diabetic patients independent of exogenous insulin. However, in spite of the success achieved, permanent immunosuppression is still required, being the main barrier to expand this treatment to a large number of patients. Therefore, development of new technologies, such as islet macro and microencapsulation to avoid rejection of the tissue implanted, is still crucial for definitive establishment of islet transplantation as a therapeutic alternative for type I diabetes. In the present work, an animal model was established for in vivo evaluation of the functional ability of human pancreatic islets, which were isolated and purified at the Human Pancreatic Islet Unit of the University of São Paulo Chemistry Institute. Diabetes was induced in NIH nude rats through streptozotocin injection followed by implantation of naked or microencapsulated human pancreatic islets. Biodritin, a new and patented heteropolyssaccaride was used to microencapsulate the islets. The production of uniform and homogeneous microcapsules with diameters in the range of 400µm e 600 µm was successfully established. Reversion of diabetes occurred in 24% of the nude rats transplanted with human pancreatic islets. On the other hand, no reversion of diabetes was observed when encapsulated islets were implanted, although their functional activity in vitro indicated that they secreted insulin and responded to glucose stimulation upon encapsulation. In order to elucidate this effect, empty capsules were implanted in nude rat and in immunocompetent rats, both of which developed an inflammatory process accompanied by a fibrotic process in the site of the implant. Immunohistochemical studies are underway to address the nature and the intensity of these inflammatory processes.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the immune-mediated destruction of insulin-producing beta-cells of pancreatic islets, culminating in critical insulin deficiency. Both genetic and environmental factors likely orchestrate an immune-mediated functional loss of beta cell mass, leading to the clinical manifestation of disease and lifelong dependence on insulin therapy. Additional evidence suggests the role of innate and adaptive immune mechanisms leading to inflammation in beta cells mediated by proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, activation of beta-cell-reactive T cells,and failure of immune tolerance. Viral infections have been proposed as causal determinants or initiating triggers for T1D but remain unproven. Understanding the relationship between viral infections and the development of T1D is essential for T1D prevention. Importantly, virus-induced innate immune responses, particularly type I interferon (IFN-I, IFN-a/b), have been implicated in the initiation of islet autoimmunity and development of T1D. The goal of my thesis project is to investigate how the IFN-I signaling pathway affects the development of T1D using the LEW.1WR1 rat model of autoimmune diabetes. My hypothesis is that disrupting IFN-Isignaling via functional deficiency of the IFN-I interferon receptor (IFNAR) prevents or delays the development of virus-induced diabetes.For this purpose, I generated IFNAR subunit 1(IFNAR1)-deficient LEW.1WR1 rats using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and confirmed the functional disruption of IFNAR1. The absence of IFNAR1 results in a significant delay in onset and frequency of diabetes following poly I:C challenge and reduces the incidence of insulitis after poly I:C treatment. The frequency of diabetes induced by Kilham rat virus (KRV) is also reduced in IFNAR1-deficient LEW.1WR1 rats. Furthermore, I observe a decrease in CD8+T cells in spleens from KRV-infected IFNAR1-deficient rats relative to that in KRV-infected wild-type rats. While splenic regulatory T cells are depleted in WT rats during KRV-infection, no such decrease is observed in KRV-infected IFNAR1-deficient rats. A comprehensive bulk RNA-seq analysis reveals a decrease of interferon-stimulated genes and inflammatory gene expression in IFNAR1-deficient rats relative to wild-type rats following KRV challenge. Collectively, the results from these studies provided mechanistic insights into the essential role of virus-induced, IFN-I-initiated innate immune responses in the early phase of autoimmune diabetes pathogenesis.

No description available.

O transplante de ilhotas pancreáticas humanas representa uma estratégia promissora para a cura do diabetes mellitus tipo 1 (DM1), mas a aplicação a todos os pacientes diabéticos ainda é impraticável devido à limitada disponibilidade de ilhotas ou células β e à necessidade de utilização de drogas imunossupressoras pelo paciente transplantado. O tratamento com imunossupressores após o transplante de ilhotas pode ser abolido quando se realiza o microencapsulamento das ilhotas pancreáticas. Neste trabalho investigou-se um novo biomaterial, Biodritina® (alginato/sulfato de condroitina) adequado ao microencapsulamento que gelifica na presença de íons de cálcio ou bário. A biocompatibilidade das microcápsulas tem sido avaliada segundo o grau de pureza do alginato utilizado na sua confecção. Amostras de alginato comercial purificado foram analisadas, comprovando-se a presença de impurezas (polifenóis, endotoxinas, proteínas) em níveis elevados, que impedem sua aplicação clínica. Optou-se, portanto pela utilização do alginato comercial ultrapurificado nos experimentos descritos neste trabalho. Das formulações de biomateriais avaliadas, as microcápsulas de bário-Biodritina apresentaram o melhor desempenho em testes de estabilidade físico-química. Estas microcápsulas mantiveram sua morfologia e estabilidade estrutural após permanecerem 30 dias na cavidade peritoneal de camundongos, conforme demonstrado por microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Análises histológicas mostraram que microcápsulas de bário-Biodritina explantadas, não possuíam adesão celular em sua superfície. Estudos de permeabilidade demonstraram que o tamanho médio dos poros das microcápsulas de bário-Biodritina permite passagem de proteínas de até 70 kDa, enquanto os poros daquelas de cálcio-Biodritina comportam proteínas de até 100 kDa. Experimentos de coResumo | x cultivo de macrófagos peritoneais com ilhotas de rato microencapsuladas demonstraram uma capacidade imunoprotetora maior das microcápsulas de bário-Biodritina em relação às de cálcio- Biodritina, sendo que as primeiras não ativaram os macrófagos. A manutenção da viabilidade e função de ilhotas humanas microencapsuladas com bário-Biodritina foi confirmada através de ensaio funcional in vitro, no qual ilhotas microencapsuladas apresentaram níveis de secreção de insulina idênticos aos de ilhotas nuas. A prova de conceito do biomaterial foi realizada através do implante de ilhotas humanas microencapsuladas em bário-Biodritina em camundongos com DM1 induzido por estreptozotocina. A hiperglicemia desses animais foi corrigida pelo implante por um período superior a 60 dias, durante os quais o teste oral de tolerância à glicose mostrou-se normal, demonstrando completa funcionalidade e eficiência das ilhotas microencapsuladas com bário-Biodritina. Partindo de observações de que animais inoculados com a peçonha do escorpião Tityus serrulatus apresentam nesidioblastose, foi realizado o fracionamento do veneno por HPLC de fase reversa e 24 frações obtidas foram submetidas a ensaios de proliferação celular através da incorporação de 3H-timidina em células de insulinoma de rato RINm5F. Uma dessas frações foi capaz de induzir a proliferação das células RINm5F e quando aplicada a ilhotas humanas isoladas, elevou o índice de secreção de insulina e induziu um aumento da expressão dos mRNAs de insulina e PCNA. Portanto, demonstrou-se que o biomaterial bário-Biodritina possui as características necessárias para microencapsular células/ilhotas com eficiência e que a \"fração ativa\" do veneno do escorpião T. serrulatus induz proliferação de células RINm5F e melhora a secreção de insulina de ilhotas humanas. / Islet transplantation has been proposed as a promising therapeutic strategy for the cure of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), however, its application to all diabetic patients is still not possible due to the limited source of islets or β cells and to the need of an immunosuppressive treatment of the recipient to avoid graft rejection. The use of immunosupressors may be abolished when pancreatic islets are microencapsulated prior to transplantation. Here, we investigated the use of a new biomaterial suitable for cell microencapsulation, namely, Biodritin®, composed of alginate and chondroitin sulphate, which is capable of gelation in the presence of barium or calcium ions. Microcapsules biocompatibility has been evaluated according to the purity of the alginate used in its production. Samples of purified commercial alginate were analyzed, but the high levels of contaminants (proteins, endotoxins and polyphenols) detected prevented its use in clinical applications. On the other hand, also commercially available ultrapure alginate fulfills the requirements for this application, therefore, this biomaterial was chosen for our experiments. Among the different biomaterial formulations evaluated, barium-Biodritin microcapsules displayed the best performance in the physico-chemical tests. Scanning electronic microscopy revealed that barium-Biodritin microcapsules maintained their morphology and structural stability after being implanted for 30 days in the peritoneal cavity of mice. No cellular adhesion was detected on the surface of explanted barium-Biodritin microcapsules by histological analysis. Permeability studies determined the medium pore size of barium-Biodritin microcapsules, which allows proteins of up to 70 kDa to pass through the biomaterial, while calcium-Biodritin pores accomodate proteins of up to 100 kDa. Co-culture of peritoneal macrophages with microencapsulated rat islets, revealed a superior immunoprotective capacity of barium-Biodritin microcapsules, which were capable of protecting the islets with no macrophage activation. Microencapsulated and naked human islets presented identical insulin secretion levels upon stimulation with glucose in vitro, confirming that barium-Biodritin microencapsulation maintains the function and viability of human islets. Proof-of-concept experiments in which barium-Biodritin microencapsulated human islets were implanted into chemically-induced diabetic mice, showed that these animals maintained normal blood glucose levels for more than 60 days, during which oral glucose tolerance tests were normal, demonstrating the complete functionality and efficiency of barium-Biodritin microencapsulated human islets. From the observation that animals inoculated with the venom of the scorpion Tityus serrulatus presented nesidioblastosis, we decided to fractionate the venom to isolate the active principle. The venom was fractionated by reversed phase HPLC and 24 fractions were obtained and submitted to cellular proliferation assays, in which rat insulinoma RINm5F cells evaluated for 3H-timidina incorporation. One of these fractions was capable of inducing cell proliferation and was also applied to isolated human islets. Treated islets presented a higher insulin secretion index and an increase in insulin and PCNA mRNA expression. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the barium-Biodritin biomaterial possesses all characteristics required for efficient cell/islet microencapsulation and that the active fraction of Tityus serrulatus venom induces the proliferation of RINm5F cells and improves insulin secretion in human islets.