Objective To review the general approaches in isolation and purification of pancreatic islets and progress in several aspects. Methods The latest l iterature concerning acquisition of pancreatic islets was reviewed and analyzed interms of the choice of pancreatic islet donors, the digestion and isolation of pancreas, the purification of islet and the assay of outcome. Results The profile of the isolation and purification depends on the selection of reagents and methods of operation in every step and l inkup between every step. Conclusion Pancreatic islet transplantation is the most effective method to treat type 1 diabetes, the problem of inadequate sources of pancreatic islets could be resolved by the optimal process and the establ ishment of standardized operation.
The islet transplantation site can be divided into two categories: orthotopic islet transplantation and ectopic islet transplantation. Orthotopic islet transplantation refers to that the insulin secreted and released from the transplanted islet will be metabolized into the liver through the hepatic portal vein system, which does not change the original insulin metabolic pathway, including the portal vein of the liver, the greater omentum. The insulin secreted by the ectopic islet transplantation changes the original metabolic pathway of insulin. The ideal islet transplantation site generally has the following characteristics: high success rate transplantation, high long-term survival rate of graft, simple operation, less trauma, less complications, low risk, easy to repeat detection and so on. This article provides a review of the current research status of each islet transplantation site, in order to provide reference for future related research.