Blood glucose concentrations were determined with test reagent strips (Medisense™; Medisense Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden). Serum insulin concentrations were measured with ELISA (Rat Insulin ELISA; Mercodia AB, Uppsala, Sweden). Statistical calculations.  All values are given as means ± SEM. Probabilities (P) of chance differences were calculated with Students paired

or unpaired t-test or anova with Bonferroni’s correction for multiple comparisons (Sigmastat; SSPD, Erfart, Germany). A value of P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. On day 2 after transplantation, GSK-3 signaling pathway both HA (Fig. 1) and water contents (Fig. 2) were increased in the transplanted pancreas when compared to the endogenous gland. These differences had, however, disappeared on days 4 and 7 post-transplantation (Figs. 1 and 2). There was no statistically significant correlation between HA and water contents on day 2, 4 and 7, respectively (data not shown). However, when all data from the three observation days were pooled, there was such

a correlation (r = 0.48; P < 0.05). Hyaluronidase treatment decreased the content of HA in the transplanted click here pancreas 2 days after implantation, but did not affect that of the endogenous gland in the transplanted rats (Fig. 3). In rats not treated with hyaluronidase, the HA contents of the pancreas were similar to that of the endogenous pancreas in transplanted rats (Fig. 3). Hyaluronidase treatment induced a decrease in HA content of the pancreas of non-transplanted control rats (Fig. 3). Hyaluronidase treatment did not, however, influence the water content of the pancreases irrespective of whether endogenous or transplanted glands were investigated (Fig. 4). It is worthy of note, however, that the pancreas Oxymatrine of the non-transplanted rats contained less than both the pancreas grafts and the endogenous

pancreas of the grafted animals. Macroscopically, the grafted pancreases were swollen, and occasional haemorrhages as well as calcified infiltrates were seen on day 2 post-transplantation. Small (2–3 mm) sterile abscesses in association with the sutures in the anastomosis between the intestines occurred in some of the animals. The endogenous glands were slightly swollen in some of the animals, but there were no haemorrhages or calcifications. There were no macroscopic differences between PBS- and hyaluronidase-treated rats. Microscopically, there were interstitial oedema and occasional haemorrhages. Vacuoles were found in some of the exocrine cells of the transplanted pancreases (Fig. 5). The endogenous pancreases of transplanted rats had sometimes a mild oedema, but vacuoles or haemorrhages were rarely seen. Hyaluronidase treatment affected none of the morphological changes referred to above. A total of 17 of 20 of the transplanted animals allocated for blood flow measurements tolerated the surgical procedures well and showed no signs of infirmity.