Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Inhibits Cell Apoptosis and Improves Glucose Responsiveness of Freshly Isolated Human Islets

The peptide hormone, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), has been shown to increase glucose-dependent insulin secretion, enhance insulin gene transcription, expand islet cell mass, and inhibit beta-cell apoptosis in animal models of diabetes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether GLP-1 could improve function and inhibit apoptosis in freshly isolated human islets. Human islets were cultured for 5 d in the presence, or absence, of GLP-1 (10 nm, added every 12 h) and studied for viability and expression of proapoptotic (caspase-3) and antiapoptotic factors (bcl-2) as well as glucose-dependent insulin production. We observed better-preserved three-dimensional islet morphology in the GLP-1-treated…