A study of insulin and glucagon secretion from adult rat pancreatic monolayer islets.

The present study confirms and extends previous observations that whole pancreatic islets form a monolayer culture in vitro. Our technique, using a medium containing 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), clearly demonstrated enzymatic disruption of the islets and cellular organization of isolated pancreatic islets. Insulin or glucagon secretion of monolayer culture was measured during incubation in a medium containing 5.5 mM D-glucose, then in 16.7 mM D-glucose, and finally in a combination of 16.7 mM D-glucose and IBMX, or of low glucose and 20 mM L-arginine. Clearly, such a technique might permit the recovery of collagenase-isolated pancreatic islets during the culture period and also an increase in glucose-induced insulin secretion and arginine stimulated glucagon secretion.