Advances in islet cell encapsulation technology in diabetes treatment

doi:10.3877/cma.j.issn.2095-1221.2025.06.005

Abstract

Abstract:

Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by persistently high blood glucose levels due to insufficient insulin secretion or impaired insulin effects. Among the current treatment options, insulinrequires frequent injection, which seriously reduces the quality in life of patients; although pancreatic transplantation may cure the disease, the scarcity of donors and potential risk of strong immune rejection pose significant challenges. To overcome these obstacles, an increasing number of studies have focused on transplanting insulin-producing islet cells encapsulated in hydrogels for the treatment of diabetes. Therefore, this review summarizes the relevant strategies for using hydrogel-encapsulated islet cells in the cellular therapy of diabetes and elaborates in detail from four aspects: cell sources, material selection, encapsulation methods, and current challenges. Finally, the development prospects of islet encapsulation technology are also discussed.

Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Encapsulation, Islet transplantation, Stem cells, Organoids

Zhihao Pan, xin Yi, Yukang Wang, Jie Wang, Zhenyu Zhou, Shufang Wang. Advances in islet cell encapsulation technology in diabetes treatment[J]. Chinese Journal of Cell and Stem Cell(Electronic Edition), 2025, 15(06): 354-360.

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材料类型	具体例子	优势	局限性
天然生物材料	海藻酸盐^[34]	离子交联成胶，易于改性修饰	降解产物体内积累
	透明质酸^[36]	生物相容性好，调控细胞行为	稳定性差
	肝素^[37]	稳定生长因子，促血管生成	供应有限，有出血风险
	胶原蛋白^[40]	可制备温度响应性凝胶	机械强度有限
合成生物材料	PLA ^[43]	应用场景广，常用于3D打印	降解产物为酸性
	PLGA ^[44]	生物可降解，多孔结构支持细胞定植
	PLCL ^[45]	机械性能可调节
	PEG ^[46]	降低免疫反应，促进分子交换	部分降解性差，需手术移除
脱细胞外基质材料	胰腺脱细胞外基质^[33]	保留天然结构和多种蛋白，为胰岛提供良好生长环境	质量控制标准不统一

材料类型	具体例子	优势	局限性
天然生物材料	海藻酸盐^[34]	离子交联成胶，易于改性修饰	降解产物体内积累
	透明质酸^[36]	生物相容性好，调控细胞行为	稳定性差
	肝素^[37]	稳定生长因子，促血管生成	供应有限，有出血风险
	胶原蛋白^[40]	可制备温度响应性凝胶	机械强度有限
合成生物材料	PLA ^[43]	应用场景广，常用于3D打印	降解产物为酸性
	PLGA ^[44]	生物可降解，多孔结构支持细胞定植
	PLCL ^[45]	机械性能可调节
	PEG ^[46]	降低免疫反应，促进分子交换	部分降解性差，需手术移除
脱细胞外基质材料	胰腺脱细胞外基质^[33]	保留天然结构和多种蛋白，为胰岛提供良好生长环境	质量控制标准不统一

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