Effects of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibition with MK-0431 on Syngeneic Mouse Islet Transplantation

Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors increase circulating levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide which may promote β-cell proliferation and survival. This study tested if DPP-4 inhibition with MK-0431 is beneficial for diabetic mice syngeneically transplanted with a marginal number of islets. We syngeneically transplanted 150 C57BL/6 mouse islets under the kidney capsule of each streptozotocin-diabetic mouse and then treated recipients with (n = 21) or without (n = 17) MK-0431 (30 mg/kg/day, po) for 6 weeks. After islet transplantation, blood glucose levels decreased in both MK-0431-treated and control groups. However, the blood glucose and area under the curve of the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test at 2, 4, and 6 weeks were not significantly different between MK-0431-treated mice and controls. During 6 weeks, both groups exhibited increased body weights over time. However, the weight between two groups did not differ throughout the study period. At 6 weeks after transplantation, the graft beta-cell mass (0.024 ± 0.005 versus 0.023 ± 0.007 mg, P = 0.8793) and insulin content (140 ± 48 versus 231 ± 63 ng, P = 0.2939) were comparable in the MK-0431-treated group and controls. Our results indicate posttransplant DPP-4 inhibition with MK-0431 in the diabetic recipient with a marginal number of islets is not beneficial to transplantation outcome or islet grafts.