Distribuição de componentes celulares, vasculares, e estromais na ilhota pancreática humana em amostras de adultos jovens e idosos

Abstract

Population aging is associated with alterations structural and metabolic in pancreatic islets, including a reduction in beta cell mass and function, resulting in decreased insulin secretion and increased susceptibility to hyperglycemia. Additionally, the extracellular matrix surrounding pancreatic islets is also affected by aging, influencing cellular interaction and structural integrity. The present study involves the histological analysis of the pancreatic islet using various cell and stroma immunological markers, and separately examining three anatomical regions of the normal human pancreas (head, body, and tail). As the age group with the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes ranges from 60 to 85 years, we studied samples of elderly people over 60 years old, using pancreas samples from young adults as controls. We used anti-insulin and anti-glucagon antibodies to analyze cell mass, anti-CD31 and anti-SMA antibodies for capillaries and stromal components, with anti-Perlecan and anti-Syndecan-4 antibodies and histochemical analysis with Picro- Sirius, to analyze collagen fibers. The objective is to verify if there are changes in the islet with aging, and if these could be related to diabetes. Our findings indicate an increase in collagen accumulation around the islets in elderly individuals, possibly related to beta cell mass loss in the pancreatic head region. We also observed a reduction in the amount of Perlecan and Syndecan-4 in the islets of the elderly, which may be linked to beta cell maintenance. Furthermore, we noted a decrease in the average number of beta cells in different regions of the pancreas in the elderly, suggesting a potential dysfunction in insulin regulation with advancing age.