BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN DENSITY GRADIENT ISOLATION OF RAT PANCREATIC ISLETS1

Abstract
The use of a bovine serum albumin (BSA) density gradient for isolation of rat pancreatic Islets of Langerhans after collagenase digestion has been compared with the standard Ficoll separation technique. The criteria studied were islet yield (insulin extraction of the islet interfaces and pellet), purity of preparation (amylase content of the islet preparation), insulin release characteristics, and the result of isologous transplantation in diabetic rats. The islet interface of the BSA gradient contained 62.2% of the total insulin, whereas the corresponding interface of the Ficoll gradient contained only 36.6% (PP