Found in 19% of people with T1D and 28% of people with T2D[2]
Insulitis is an inflammation of the islets of Langerhans, a collection of endocrine tissue located in the pancreas that helps regulate glucose levels, and is classified by specific targeting of immune cell (T and B lymphocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells) infiltration in the islets of Langerhans.[4][5][6][7] This immune cell infiltration can result in the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the islets, which plays a major role in the pathogenesis, the disease development, of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Insulitis is present in 19% of individuals with type 1 diabetes and 28% of individuals with type 2 diabetes.[1][8][9] It is known that genetic and environmental factors contribute to insulitis initiation, however, the exact process that causes it is unknown.[10] Insulitis is often studied using the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type 1 diabetes. The chemokine family of proteins may play a key role in promoting leukocytic infiltration into the pancreas prior to pancreatic beta-cell destruction.[11]
^ abIn’t Veld, P. (2014). Insulitis in human type 1 diabetes: a comparison between patients and animal models. Semin Immunopathol 36, 569–579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-014-0438-4
^ abCite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Lundberg, M., Seiron, P., Ingvast, S., Korsgren, O., & Skog, O. (2017). Insulitis in human diabetes: a histological evaluation of donor pancreases. Diabetologia, 60(2), 346–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-016-4140-z
^Haschek, W. M., Rousseaux, C. G., Wallig, M. A. (Eds.). (2013). Haschek and Rousseaux's Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2010-1-67850-9
^Grönholm, J., & Lenardo, M. J. (2015). Novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for autoimmune diabetes--a prime time to treat insulitis as a disease. Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.), 156(2), 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2014.11.007