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Endocrine Journal May 2017A small number of cells in the adult pancreas are endocrine cells. They are arranged in clusters called islets of Langerhans. The islets make insulin, glucagon, and... (Review)
Review
A small number of cells in the adult pancreas are endocrine cells. They are arranged in clusters called islets of Langerhans. The islets make insulin, glucagon, and other endocrine hormones, and release them into the blood circulation. These hormones help control the level of blood glucose. Therefore, a dysfunction of endocrine cells in the pancreas results in impaired glucose homeostasis, or diabetes mellitus. The pancreas is an organ that originates from the evaginations of pancreatic progenitor cells in the epithelium of the foregut endoderm. Pancreas organogenesis and maturation of the islets of Langerhans occurs via a coordinated and complex interplay of transcriptional networks and signaling molecules, which guide a stepwise and repetitive process of the propagation of progenitor cells and their maturation, eventually resulting in a fully functional organ. Increasing our understanding of the extrinsic, as well as intrinsic mechanisms that control these processes should facilitate the efforts to generate surrogate β cells from ES or iPS cells, or to reactivate the function of important cell types within pancreatic islets that are lost in diabetes.
Topics: Animals; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Gene Regulatory Networks; Humans; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Organogenesis; Pancreas; Transcription, Genetic
PubMed: 28420858
DOI: 10.1507/endocrj.EJ17-0098 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Aug 2012Growth and development of embryonic organs goes hand in hand with development of the vascular system. Blood vessels have been known for centuries to supply nutrients and... (Review)
Review
Growth and development of embryonic organs goes hand in hand with development of the vascular system. Blood vessels have been known for centuries to supply nutrients and oxygen to all cell types in an organism, however, they have more recently been shown to provide specific cues required for the formation and functionality of a number of tissues. Here, we review the role of blood vessels during pancreas formation, from early specification of the initial pancreatic bud, to its growth and maturation. The overarching theme that emerges from the many studies carried out in the past decade is that the vasculature likely plays diverse and changing roles during pancreas organogenesis. Blood vessels are required for endocrine specification at the onset of pancreatic budding, while only a few days later, blood vessels suppress pancreatic branching and exocrine differentiation. In this review, we summarize our understanding to date about the crosstalk between the pancreas and its vasculature, and we provide a perspective on the promises and challenges of the field.
Topics: Animals; Aorta; Blood Vessels; Humans; Organogenesis; Pancreas
PubMed: 22728668
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2012.06.003 -
American Journal of Physiology.... Apr 2015In this review we summarize the role of inflammasomes in pancreatic physiology and disease with a focus on acute pancreatitis where much recent progress has been made.... (Review)
Review
In this review we summarize the role of inflammasomes in pancreatic physiology and disease with a focus on acute pancreatitis where much recent progress has been made. New findings have identified inducers of and cell specificity of inflammasome component expression in the pancreas, the contribution of inflammasome-regulated effectors to pancreatitis, and metabolic regulation of inflammasome activation, which are strong determinants of injury in pancreatitis. New areas of pancreatic biology will be highlighted in the context of our evolving understanding of gut microbiome- and injury-induced inflammasome priming, pyroptosis, and innate immune-mediated regulation of cell metabolism.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Inflammasomes; Inflammation Mediators; Pancreas; Pancreatic Diseases; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 25700081
DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00388.2014 -
Development (Cambridge, England) Aug 2012Blood vessels course through organs, providing them with essential nutrient and gaseous exchange. However, the vasculature has also been shown to provide non-nutritional... (Review)
Review
Blood vessels course through organs, providing them with essential nutrient and gaseous exchange. However, the vasculature has also been shown to provide non-nutritional signals that play key roles in the control of organ growth, morphogenesis and homeostasis. Here, we examine a decade of work on the contribution of vascular paracrine signals to developing tissues, with a focus on pancreatic β-cells. During the early stages of embryonic development, blood vessels are required for pancreas specification. Later, the vasculature constrains pancreas branching, differentiation and growth. During adult life, capillaries provide a vascular niche for the maintenance of β-cell function and survival. We explore the possibility that the vasculature constitutes a dynamic and regionalized signaling system that carries out multiple and changing functions as it coordinately grows with the pancreatic epithelial tree.
Topics: Animals; Diabetes Mellitus; Endothelial Cells; Epithelium; Humans; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; Models, Biological; Pancreas; Paracrine Communication; Stem Cell Niche
PubMed: 22833471
DOI: 10.1242/dev.065953 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2020The pancreas is a glandular organ responsible for diverse homeostatic functions, including hormone production from the endocrine islet cells to regulate blood sugar... (Review)
Review
The pancreas is a glandular organ responsible for diverse homeostatic functions, including hormone production from the endocrine islet cells to regulate blood sugar levels and enzyme secretion from the exocrine acinar cells to facilitate food digestion. These pancreatic functions are essential for life; therefore, preserving pancreatic function is of utmost importance. Pancreas dysfunction can arise either from developmental disorders or adult onset disease, both of which are caused by defects in shared molecular pathways. In this chapter, we discuss what is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling pancreas development, how disruption of these mechanisms can lead to developmental defects and disease, and how essential pancreas functions can be modeled using human pluripotent stem cells. At the core of understanding of these molecular processes are animal model studies that continue to be essential for elucidating the mechanisms underlying human pancreatic functions and diseases.
Topics: Acinar Cells; Animals; Humans; Models, Animal; Organogenesis; Pancreas; Pancreas, Exocrine; Pluripotent Stem Cells
PubMed: 32304069
DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-2389-2_3 -
World Journal of Gastroenterology Dec 2013Traumatic injury to the pancreas is rare and difficult to diagnose. In contrast, traumatic injuries to the liver, spleen and kidney are common and are usually identified... (Review)
Review
Traumatic injury to the pancreas is rare and difficult to diagnose. In contrast, traumatic injuries to the liver, spleen and kidney are common and are usually identified with ease by imaging modalities. Pancreatic injuries are usually subtle to identify by different diagnostic imaging modalities, and these injuries are often overlooked in cases with extensive multiorgan trauma. The most evident findings of pancreatic injury are post-traumatic pancreatitis with blood, edema, and soft tissue infiltration of the anterior pararenal space. The alterations of post-traumatic pancreatitis may not be visualized within several hours following trauma as they are time dependent. Delayed diagnoses of traumatic pancreatic injuries are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Imaging plays an important role in diagnosis of pancreatic injuries because early recognition of the disruption of the main pancreatic duct is important. We reviewed our experience with the use of various imaging modalities for diagnosis of blunt pancreatic trauma.
Topics: Animals; Diagnostic Imaging; Humans; Injury Severity Score; Pancreas; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Radiography; Ultrasonography; Wounds and Injuries
PubMed: 24379625
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i47.9003 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Oct 2010The pancreas is composed of two main compartments consisting of endocrine and exocrine tissues. The majority of the organ is exocrine and responsible for the synthesis... (Review)
Review
The pancreas is composed of two main compartments consisting of endocrine and exocrine tissues. The majority of the organ is exocrine and responsible for the synthesis of digestive enzymes and for their transport via an intricate ductal system into the duodenum. The endocrine tissue represents less than 2% of the organ and is organized into functional units called islets of Langerhans, comprising alpha-, beta-, delta-, epsilon- and PP-cells, producing the hormones glucagon, insulin, somatostatin, ghrelin and pancreatic polypeptide (PP), respectively. Insulin-producing beta-cells play a central role in the control of the glucose homeostasis. Accordingly, absolute or relative deficiency in beta-cells may ultimately lead to type 1 and/or type 2 diabetes, respectively. One major goal of diabetes research is therefore to understand the molecular mechanisms controlling the development of beta-cells during pancreas morphogenesis, but also those underlying the regeneration of adult injured pancreas, and assess their significance for future cell-based therapy. In this review, we will therefore present new insights into beta-cell development with focus on beta-cell regeneration.
Topics: Animals; Cell Proliferation; Humans; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Mice; Pancreas
PubMed: 20688184
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2010.07.007 -
Cell Stem Cell Apr 2023Understanding the origin of pancreatic β cells has profound implications for regenerative therapies in diabetes. For over a century, it was widely held that adult...
Understanding the origin of pancreatic β cells has profound implications for regenerative therapies in diabetes. For over a century, it was widely held that adult pancreatic duct cells act as endocrine progenitors, but lineage-tracing experiments challenged this dogma. Gribben et al. recently used two existing lineage-tracing models and single-cell RNA sequencing to conclude that adult pancreatic ducts contain endocrine progenitors that differentiate to insulin-expressing β cells at a physiologically important rate. We now offer an alternative interpretation of these experiments. Our data indicate that the two Cre lines that were used directly label adult islet somatostatin-producing ∂ cells, which precludes their use to assess whether β cells originate from duct cells. Furthermore, many labeled ∂ cells, which have an elongated neuron-like shape, were likely misclassified as β cells because insulin-somatostatin coimmunolocalizations were not used. We conclude that most evidence so far indicates that endocrine and exocrine lineage borders are rarely crossed in the adult pancreas.
Topics: Insulin-Secreting Cells; Evidence Gaps; Cell Differentiation; Pancreas; Pancreatic Ducts; Insulin; Somatostatin
PubMed: 37028408
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.03.003 -
World Journal of Gastroenterology Mar 2023Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is speculated to become the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality by 2030, a high mortality rate considering the number of... (Review)
Review
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is speculated to become the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality by 2030, a high mortality rate considering the number of cases. Surgery and chemotherapy are the main treatment options, but they are burdensome for patients. A clear histological diagnosis is needed to determine a treatment plan, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided tissue acquisition (TA) is a suitable technique that does not worsen the cancer-specific prognosis even for lesions at risk of needle tract seeding. With the development of personalized medicine and precision treatment, there has been an increasing demand to increase cell counts and collect specimens while preserving tissue structure, leading to the development of the fine-needle biopsy (FNB) needle. EUS-FNB is rapidly replacing EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) as the procedure of choice for EUS-TA of pancreatic cancer. However, EUS-FNA is sometimes necessary where the FNB needle cannot penetrate small hard lesions, so it is important clinicians are familiar with both. Given these recent dev-elopments, we present an up-to-date review of the role of EUS-TA in pancreatic cancer. Particularly, technical aspects, such as needle caliber, negative pressure, and puncture methods, for obtaining an adequate specimen in EUS-TA are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Pancreas; Endosonography
PubMed: 37032729
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i12.1863 -
Pancreatology : Official Journal of the... Mar 2022The dorsal pancreatic artery is the main artery of the body and tail of the pancreas. Its origin and branching is highly variable. The aim of this study was to perform a... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES
The dorsal pancreatic artery is the main artery of the body and tail of the pancreas. Its origin and branching is highly variable. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to generate pooled prevalence data on the presence and origin of the dorsal pancreatic artery. Clinically important aspects of the dorsal pancreatic artery were summarised during the literature review.
METHODS
Major medical databases were searched. Data on the presence and point of origin of the dorsal pancreatic artery were extracted and quantitatively synthesised. The obtained data of anatomical based studies and computed tomography based studies were statistically analysed.
RESULTS
In total, 30 studies, comprising 2322 anatomical and computed tomography based cases were included. The dorsal pancreatic artery was present in 95.8% of cases. It originated from the splenic artery in 37.6% of cases, common hepatic artery in 18.3% of cases, coeliac trunk in 11.9% of cases and the superior mesenteric artery in 23.9% of cases. Other rare origins were present in 2.77% of cases. Multiple dorsal pancreatic arteries were found in 1,7% of cases. There was no significant difference in the presence or origin of the dorsal pancreatic artery between anatomical and computed tomography based studies.
CONCLUSION
The dorsal pancreatic artery is present in the vast majority of cases. Its origin and branching are highly variable. Multiplicity of the dorsal pancreatic artery is infrequent.
Topics: Celiac Artery; Humans; Mesenteric Artery, Superior; Pancreas; Splenic Artery; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 35177332
DOI: 10.1016/j.pan.2022.02.002