UCSF

During maturation, pancreatic islets achieve their full capacity to secrete insulin in response to glucose, undergo morphological changes in which alpha-cells decrease and beta-cell mass increases, and they acquire the normal alpha- and beta-cell proportion changes that are important for islet functions later in life. In rodents, the first week of postweaning is critical for islet maturation. Multiple studies have documented the detrimental effects of several conditions on pancreatic maturation; however, few studies have addressed the use of pharmacological agents to enhance islet maturation. Biotin might have a potential action on islet maturation. Pharmacological concentrations of biotin have been found to modify islet morphology and function. In a previous study, we found that mice fed a biotin-supplemented diet for 8 weeks after weaning showed an increase in basal and glucose stimulated insulin secretion, enlarged islet size, and modified islet structure. In the present study, we investigated the effect of biotin on maturation features during the first week postweaning. Female BALB/cAnN Hsd mice were fed a control or a biotin-supplemented diet for 1 week after weaning. Compared with the control, biotin-supplemented mice showed an increase in pancreatic islet number and area in addition to an augmented proportion of beta-cells in the islet. These effects were related to an increase in beta-cell proliferation. No differences were found in insulin secretion, blood glucose concentrations, or serum insulin levels. These results indicate that biotin supplementation is capable of affecting beta-cell proliferation and might be a therapeutic agent for establishing strategies for regenerative medicine.