Diabetes, Vol 35, Issue 9 1049-1052, Copyright © 1986 by American Diabetes Association
Direct effects of cyclosporin A on human pancreatic beta-cells
JH Nielsen, T Mandrup-Poulsen and J Nerup
Cyclosporin A (CyA) may induce clinical remission in newly diagnosed
insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. Recently, however, adverse
effects of high doses of CyA on rodent islets have been reported in vivo
and in vitro. The possible direct effects of CyA on the human endocrine
pancreas were therefore evaluated. Islets isolated from eight necrokidney
donors were cultured in the presence of a therapeutically relevant dose of
CyA, i.e., 100 ng/ml. During a 5-day culture period the release of insulin
was reduced by 36% (range 7-61%), whereas the islets' content of insulin
was increased by 59% (range 3-268%). The glucagon content was not affected.
Cyclosporin G inhibited the insulin release, whereas dihydrocyclosporin D
had no consistent effects. Glucose-stimulated insulin release from
perifused islets was markedly depressed in CyA-treated islets. This effect
was not fully reversed 48 h after removal of the drug. We concluded that
CyA has a direct inhibitory effect on insulin release from human pancreatic
islets with a concomitant increase in the residual insulin content. If
applicable to the in vivo condition, CyA may therefore, in addition to its
immunosuppressive effect, have direct effects on the endocrine pancreas,
which may be relevant for clinical application of the drug.