Fibrin, a Scaffold Material for Islet Transplantation and Pancreatic Endocrine Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Fibrin is derived from fibrinogen during injury to produce a blood clot and thus promote wound repair. Composed of different domains, including Arg-Gly-Asp amino acid motifs, fibrin is used extensively as a hydrogel and sealant in the clinic. By binding to cell surface receptors like integrins and acting as a supportive 3D scaffold, fibrin has been useful in promoting cell differentiation, proliferation, function, and survival. In particular, fibrin has been able to maintain islet cell architecture, promote beta cell insulin secretion, and islet angiogenesis, as well as inducing a protective effect against cell death. During islet transplantation, fibrin improved neovascularization and islet function. These improvements resulted in reduced number of transplanted islets necessary to reverse diabetes. Therefore, fibrin, as a biocompatible and biodegradable scaffold, should be considered during subcutaneous islet transplantation and beta cell expansion in vitro to ensure maintenance of islet cell function, proliferation, and survival to develop effective cell-based therapies for the treatment of diabetes.

Tissue‐engineering approaches in pancreatic islet transplantation

“…This protein is currently used in the clinic as a hemostatic agent and a sealant (Ahmed, Dare, & Hincke, ). In tissue engineering, fibrin hydrogels are widely used and 3D‐fibrin scaffolds act as a provisional ECM, supporting long‐term islet survival and function (Riopel, Trinder, & Wang, ). Although fibrin itself is able to the promote vascularization of islet grafts (J. S. Kim et al, ; J. Y. Lim et al, ), it is normally used in combination with proangiogenic growth factors, particularly when islets are transplanted at extrahepatic sites (Bhang et al, ; Najjar et al, ), or with synthetic materials such as PDMS (Brady et al, ).…”

Prospects of Application of Tissue-Engineered Pancreatic Constructs in the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

“…Связываясь с рецепторами клеточной мембраны, такими как интегрины, фибрин способс-твует дифференцировке клеток, их пролиферации, функционированию и выживанию [82]. Фибрин так-же способен сохранять архитектуру ОК, стимули-ровать секрецию ими инсулина, ангиогенез остров-ков, оказывать протективный эффект в отношении гибели клеток.…”

Immunoisolation to prevent tissue graft rejection: Current knowledge and future use

“…We will elaborate on the use of alginate and PEG, while the rest has been reviewed elsewhere. [22][23] Synthetic hydrogels are useful in tissue engineering applications as they have a high degree of reproducibility, tunability, and biocompatibility, whereas natural hydrogels have a higher degree of biological specificity.…”