Collagens are the most abundant fibrous protein in the human body and constitute the main structural element of the extracellular matrix. It provides mechanical and physiological support for cells. In the pancreas, collagen VI content is more than double that of collagen I or IV. It is a major component of the islet-exocrine interface and could be involved in islet-cell survival. To test the impact of collagen VI on human encapsulated pancreatic islets-cells, we tested the effects of exogenous collagen type VI on in vitro functional survival of alginate encapsulated human islet-cells. Concentrations tested ranged from 0.1 to 50 µg/ml. Islets in capsules without collagen type VI served as control. Islet-cell interaction with collagen type VI at concentrations of 0.1 and 10 µg/ml, promoted islet-cell viability (p<0.05). Although no improvement in glucose induced insulin secretion (GSIS) was observed, islets in capsules without incorporation of collagen type VI showed more dysfunction and oxygen consumption rates was improved by inclusion of collagen type VI. Our results demonstrate that incorporation of collagen type VI in immunoisolated human islets supports in vitro viability and survival of human pancreatic islets.

胶原蛋白是人体内最丰富的纤维蛋白，构成细胞外基质的主要结构元素。它为细胞提供机械和生理支持。在胰腺中，VI 型胶原蛋白的含量是 I 型或 IV 型胶原蛋白的两倍多。它是胰岛外分泌界面的主要组成部分，可能参与胰岛细胞的存活。为了测试 VI 型胶原蛋白对人封装胰岛细胞的影响，我们测试了外源 VI 型胶原蛋白对藻酸盐封装的人胰岛细胞体外功能存活的影响。测试浓度范围为 0.1 至 50 µg/ml。不含 VI 型胶原蛋白的胶囊中的胰岛作为对照。胰岛细胞与浓度为 0.1 和 10 µg/ml 的 VI 型胶原蛋白相互作用，可促进胰岛细胞活力 (p<0.05)。虽然没有观察到葡萄糖诱导的胰岛素分泌（GSIS）的改善，但未掺入 VI 型胶原蛋白的胶囊中的胰岛显示出更多的功能障碍，并且通过掺入 VI 型胶原蛋白改善了耗氧率。我们的结果表明，在免疫分离的人胰岛中掺入 VI 型胶原蛋白支持人胰岛的体外活力和存活。