Normal islet vascularization is dispensable for expansion of beta-cell mass in response to high-fat diet induced insulin resistance

The inability to increase of islet mass adequately to compensate for the demand of insulin due to insulin resistance is an important pathophysiological feature of type 2 diabetes. Previous studies suggested a relationship between pancreatic beta-cell mass and islet vascularization, although no evidence has confirmed this association in response to insulin resistance. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) in islets is essential for maintaining normal islet blood vessels. Here, insulin resistance was induced in mice carrying a beta-cell-specific VEGF-A gene mutation (RIP-Cre:Vegf^fl/fl) by 20-week feeding of high-fat diet as a model of impaired islet vascularization. These mice showed only a modest decrease in glucose tolerance, compared with control mice. In addition, although the endothelial cell area in the islets of high-fat-fed RIP-Cre:Vegf^fl/fl mice remained diminished, the pancreatic beta-cell area was modestly more than in high-fat-fed control mice. Thus, normal islet vascularization does not seem to be essential for expansion of beta cell mass in response to insulin resistance.