Automated quantification of pancreatic beta-cell mass

作者：Golson Maria L; Bush William S; Brissova Marcela^*

来源：American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology And Metabolism, 2014, 306(12): E1460-E1467.

DOI：10.1152/ajpendo.00591.2013

• pancreatic islets
• beta-cell mass
• automated analysis
• diabetes

beta-Cell mass is a parameter commonly measured in studies of islet biology and diabetes. However, the rigorous quantification of pancreatic beta-cell mass using conventional histological methods is a time-consuming process. Rapidly evolving virtual slide technology with high-resolution slide scanners and newly developed image analysis tools has the potential to transform beta-cell mass measurement. To test the effectiveness and accuracy of this new approach, we assessed pancreata from normal C57B1/6J mice and from mouse models of beta-cell ablation (streptozotocin-treated mice) and beta-cell hyperplasia (leptin-deficient mice), using a standardized systematic sampling of pancreatic specimens. Our data indicate that automated analysis of virtual pancreatic slides is highly reliable and yields results consistent with those obtained by conventional morphometric analysis. This new methodology will allow investigators to dramatically reduce the time required for beta-cell mass measurement by automating high-resolution image capture and analysis of entire pancreatic sections.

• 出版日期2014-6-15