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Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University examined pancreas islet cell loss (ICL) in individuals who had no previous pancreas problems. They discovered major trends in the types of cells lost due to islet cell loss across different age groups and sexes, and concluded that ICL in the elderly was mostly caused by insulin-producing beta cell loss. This may be a cause of age-related diabetes and may aid in the development of novel preventive drugs.
The pancreas is an incredibly important part of the human digestive system, specifically for regulating blood sugar levels by secreting the hormone insulin. Although each part of the pancreas is important, not each part has the same function. A closer look reveals an interesting internal structure, consisting of islets of cells known as islets of Langerhans, named after their discoverer, which contain hormone-producing (endocrine) cells. They make up a small portion of all cells in the pancreas, about one percent, causing any changes in their morphology or being potential drivers for health problems.
Also read: 10 warning signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer that you should not ignore
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A team led by Professor Shuang-Qin Yi of Tokyo Metropolitan University is studying the phenomenon of pancreatic islet cell loss (ICL), where these islet areas appear empty when viewed under a microscope. Such islets were likely to be surrounded by either healthy cells or lesions, and it remained to be seen what they could teach us about a person’s health.
This led the team to conduct a thorough survey of pancreatic sections taken from the cadavers of people aged 65 to 104 years who had no pancreatic disease before death. Islet cell loss in healthy populations is something that is rarely studied. The degree of cell loss in each sample was found by observing stained sections from the pancreas under a microscope and analyzing the images. They focused on trends by age and sex and took a close look at the types of cells left in the pancreas, including the four most abundant cell types, alpha, beta, delta and PP (pancreatic polypeptide-producing) cells.
The team paid extra attention to the number of beta cells, which are the cells responsible for insulin production. While there were no notable trends in other cell types, it was found that the proportion of beta cells in the pancreas was significantly reduced with ICL. This leads to the conclusion that ICL in the elderly is primarily caused by beta cell loss in islets. ICL is also associated with microscopic lesions in the pancreas known as pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PENINs), while severe ICL appears to be less likely at more advanced ages.
Interestingly, it was found that women were more likely to show severe ICL. The team’s findings are consistent with International Diabetes Foundation data presented in 2021, which showed that women over 70 had a higher incidence of diabetes than men, while the trend reversed for those under 70. While other mechanisms for beta cell loss are thought to be required, these findings also suggest that the occurrence of islet cell loss may be a major driver of geriatric diabetes. This makes interventions that can slow the decline in beta cell numbers particularly in the elderly a potentially effective route for preventive treatment.
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