Glucagon test in the diagnosis of rejection in pancreas transplantation in pigs

Pancreas transplantation is today a valid alternative to insulin therapy in type I diabetes. However one of the major problems related to this treatment is the difficulty in the diagnosis of rejection because of the lack of a valid functional index. In this experimental study, we have evaluated the utility of the glucagon test in monitoring rejection in pancreas transplants. Seven animals with streptozotocin induced diabetes, underwent whole pancreas transplantation in extraperitoneal location. Daily monitoring of blood glucose and blood insulin determinations before and after glucagon stimulus were performed. Blood glucose, which was normalized after transplantation, did not show significant alterations during the study. On the contrary, the glucagon test evidenced a good insulinemic response to the stimulus on the 3rd postoperative day, whereas on the 6th postoperative day the test demonstrated an altered pancreatic function. Thus the glucagon test has proved to be a more sensitive test than blood glucose determination in the functional evaluation of pancreas transplantation.