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Although, diabetes is reaching pandemic proportions, the exact aetiology of either type 1 ( T1D) or type 2 diabetes ( T2D) remains to be determined. Mounting evidence, however, suggests that islet inflammation is a likely common denominator during early development of either type of the disease. In this review, we highlight some of the inflammatory mechanisms that appear to be shared between T1D and T2D, and we explore the utility of intravital imaging in the study of islet inflammation. Intravital imaging has emerged as an indispensable tool in biomedical research and a variety of in vivo imaging approaches have been developed to study pancreatic islet physiology and pathophysiology in the native environment in health and disease. However, given the scattered distribution of the islets of Langerhans within the 'sea' of the exocrine pancreas located deep within the body and the fact that the islets only constitute 1-2% of the total volume of pancreatic tissue, studying the pancreatic islet in situ has been challenging. Here, we focus on a new experimental approach that enables studying local islet inflammation with single-cell resolution in the relevant context of the in vivo environment non-invasively and longitudinally and, thereby improving our understanding of diabetes pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major problem in medical research is to translate in vitro observations into the living organism. In this perspective, we discuss ongoing efforts to non-invasively image pancreatic islets/β-cells by techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, and present an experimental platform, which allows in vivo imaging of pancreatic β-cell mass and function longitudinally and at the single-cell level. Following transplantation of pancreatic islets into the anterior chamber of the eye of mice and rats, these islets are studied by functional microscopic imaging. This imaging platform can be utilized to address fundamental aspects of pancreatic islet cell biology in vivo in health and disease. These include the dynamics of pancreatic islet vascularization, islet cell innervation, signal-transduction, change in functional β-cell mass and immune responses. Moreover, we discuss the feasibility of studying human islet cell physiology and pathology in vivo as well as the potential of using the anterior chamber of the eye as a site for therapeutic transplantation in type 1 diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism by which the novel, pure glucose-dependent insulinotropic, imidazoline derivative BL11282 promotes insulin secretion in pancreatic islets has been investigated. The roles of KATP channels, α2-adrenoreceptors, the I1-receptor-phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase (PC-PLC) pathway and arachidonic acid signaling in BL11282 potentiation of insulin secretion in pancreatic islets were studied. Using SUR1(-/-) deficient mice, the previous notion that the insulinotropic activity of BL11282 is not related to its interaction with KATP channels was confirmed. Insulinotropic activity of BL11282 was not related to its effect on α2-adrenoreceptors, I1-imidazoline receptors or PC-PLC. BL11282 significantly increased [3H]arachidonic acid production. This effect was abolished in the presence of the iPLA2 inhibitor, bromoenol lactone. The data suggest that potentiation of glucose-induced insulin release by BL11282, which is independent of concomitant changes in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration, involves release of arachidonic acid by iPLA2 and its metabolism to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids through the cytochrome P-450 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidazoline compounds have been considered for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We have now investigated the effects of imidazolines on interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced beta-cell apoptosis and the signal transduction pathways involved. Inhibition of Ca2+ influx into beta-cells by D-600, a blocker of voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels, suppressed IL-1beta-induced apoptosis. Our data show that calcineurin, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2B, is responsible for the effect of Ca2+ on beta-cell apoptosis. We also demonstrate that IL-1beta-mediated apoptosis correlates with expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the increase in intracellular production of nitric oxide. An inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), KT5823, suppressed IL-1beta-induced apoptosis, suggesting the involvement of a PKG-dependent pathway in the apoptotic process. One of the major findings in this study is that imidazoline compounds RX871024 and efaroxan, suggested as prototypes of a new generation of drugs against type 2 diabetes, can protect against IL-1beta-induced apoptosis in pancreatic beta-cells, possibly by their inhibition of the expression of iNOS, a key element in the IL-1beta-induced apoptotic pathway in pancreatic beta-cells. These data suggest that imidazoline compounds should be explored as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis is a physiological form of cell death that occurs during normal development, and critical mediators of this process include caspases, reactive oxygen species, and Ca2+. Excessive apoptosis of the pancreatic beta-cell has been associated with diabetes. Consequently, apoptosis research has focused on how infiltrating macrophages or cytotoxic T-cells might kill pancreatic beta-cells using cytokines or death receptor triggering. Meanwhile, the intracellular events in the target beta-cell have been largely ignored. Elucidation of such targets might help develop improved treatment strategies for diabetes. This article will outline recent developments in apoptosis research, with emphasis on mechanisms that may be relevant to beta-cell death in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Several of the models proposed in beta-cell killing converge on Ca2+ signaling, indicating that the pancreatic beta-cell may be an ideal system in which to carefully dissect the role of Ca2+ during apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of RX871024, a compound with an imidazoline structure, on cytoplasmic-free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in mouse pancreatic beta-cells were studied. RX871024 modulates [Ca2+]i by at least two mechanisms. One mechanism involves closure of ATP-regulated K+ channels, resulting in membrane depolarization, opening of voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels, and a subsequent increase in [Ca2+]i. Another mechanism, reported here for the first time, deals with RX871024-induced mobilization of Ca2+ from nonmitochondrial thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular stores. Reduced glutathione, inhibitors of cytochrome P-450, and monoaminooxidases A and B blocked this Ca2+ mobilization. It is concluded that the mechanism of RX871024-induced Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores involves changes in the oxidation/reduction state of the pancreatic beta-cell and may be controlled by cytochrome P-450. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]