ArticleEuropean journal of endocrinology2020
Pancreatic alpha-cell mass across adult human lifespan.
Article in European journal of endocrinology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Quantitative 3D histology reveals localized immune remodeling during early pancreatic cancer progression.Cell press blue · 2026Article
- Mosloflavone induces pancreatic α cells transdifferentiation into β cells through PDX1.Journal of natural medicines · 2026Article
- Molecular Mechanisms of Human Pancreatic Islet Dysfunction Under Overnutrition Metabolic Stress.Diabetes · 2025Article
- Pluripotent stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles for systemic immune modulation in diabetes therapy.Research square · 2025Article
- Article
- Effects of aerobic, resistance, interval, and combined training on glucose metabolism in older adults: insights into type, dose, and mechanism.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Review
- Bi-Hormonal Endocrine Cell Presence Within the Islets of Langerhans of the Human Pancreas Throughout Life.Cells · 2025Article
- LDHB contributes to the regulation of lactate levels and basal insulin secretion in human pancreatic β cells.Cell reports · 2024Article
- The human α cell in health and disease.The Journal of endocrinology · 2023Review
- Modeling MEN1 with Patient-Origin iPSCs Reveals GLP-1R Mediated Hypersecretion of Insulin.Cells · 2022Article
- The Human Islet: Mini-Organ With Mega-Impact.Endocrine reviews · 2021Review
- Insulitis and lymphoid structures in the islets of Langerhans of a 66-year-old patient with long-standing type 1 diabetes.Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimTo establish pancreatic alpha-cell mass in lean, non-diabetic humans over the adult lifespan, performed as a follow-up study to beta-cell mass across the adult human lifespan.
methodsWe examined human pancreatic autopsy tissue from 66 lean, non-diabetic individuals aged from 30 to 102 years, grouped into deciles: 3rd (30-39 years), 4th (40-49 years), 5th (50-59 years), 6th (60-69 years), 7th (70-79 years), 8th (80-89 years) and 9th deciles (90+ years). Sections of pancreas were immunostained for glucagon and analyzed for fractional alpha-cell area. Population-based pancreatic volume data were used to calculate alpha-cell mass.
resultsWith advanced age, the exocrine pancreas undergoes atrophy demonstrated by increased fat area (as % exocrine area) (0.05 ± 0.01 vs 1.6 ± 0.7% fat area of total exocrine pancreas, 3rd vs 9th decile, P < 0.05). Consequently, islet density increases with age (2.7 ± 0.4 vs 10.5 ± 3.3 islets/mm2, 3rd vs 9th decile, P < 0.05). Alpha-cell fractional area increases with advanced age (0.34 ± 0.05% vs 0.73 ± 0.26%, 3rd vs 9th decile, P < 0.05). However, alpha-cell mass remains constant at ~190 mg throughout the adult lifespan in lean, non-diabetic humans. Within islets, alpha-cell distribution between mantle and core is unchanged across deciles (1862 ± 220 vs 1945 ± 200 vs 1948 ± 139 alpha cells in islet mantle/mm2, 3rd vs 6th vs 9th decile, P = 0.93 and 1912 ± 442 vs 1449 ± 123 vs 1514 ± 168 alpha cells in islet core/mm2, 3rd vs 6th vs 9th decile, P = 0.47), suggesting that human islets retain their structural organization in the setting of age-related exocrine atrophy.
conclusionsConsistent with our previous findings for beta-cell mass, alpha-cell mass remains constant in humans, even with advanced age. Pancreatic endocrine cells are much more robustly preserved than exocrine cells in aged humans, and islets maintain their structural integrity throughout life.
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