Young capillary vessels rejuvenate aged pancreatic islets

• The regulation of blood glucose is a homeostatic process that declines with age, but it is unknown whether this disturbance is a consequence of intrinsic dysfunction of the regulatory organ, the pancreatic islet. In marked contrast to the widely held notion that the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cell loses function with wear and tear, and thus causes age-related disturbances in glucose homeostasis, we show that mouse and human beta cells are fully functional at advanced age. The pancreatic islet as an organ, however, is threatened by vascular senescence. Replacing the islet vasculature in aged islet grafts rejuvenates the islet and fully restores glucose homeostasis, indicating that islet blood vessels should be targeted to mitigate frail glucose homeostasis associated with aging.

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