Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells repair islet structure and function in diabetic rats through metabolic reprogramming

Figure 1 Effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on body weight, blood glucose levels, and the performance of pancreatic islets in rat diabetic models. A: Diagram illustrating the therapeutic procedure using human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in diabetic rats; B: Changes in rat body weight over time across all groups; C: Temporal fluctuations in the fasting blood glucose levels among the different groups; D: Fasting insulin concentrations in the serum of rats per group; E: Measurements of serum C-peptide levels in rats from each group; F: Glycated hemoglobin levels in the serum of rats across groups; G: Glycated serum protein levels in rats evaluated by group; H: Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance indices assessed for each group of rats; I: Representative images of pancreatic tissues stained with hematoxylin and eosin from rats in all groups. Scale bars = 400 μm (left) or 200 μm (right); J: Representative TUNEL staining images of rat pancreatic tissues from each group. Scale bar = 100 μm; K: Bar graph shows quantitative analysis of apoptosis rate; L: Immunohistochemical staining of insulin in the rat pancreatic tissues. Scale indicators = 400 μm (left) or 200 μm (right); the bar chart depicts the quantified percentage of insulin-positive regions. Control, n = 8; diabetes mellitus (DM), n = 6; DM + human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, n = 5. ^aP < 0.001. STZ: Streptozotocin; SD: Sprague-Dawley; hUC-MSCs: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells; DM: Diabetes mellitus; FBG: Fasting blood glucose; FINS: Fasting insulin; GHb: Glycated hemoglobin; GSP: Glycated serum protein; HOMA-IR: Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; TUNEL: Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling; DAPI: 4’,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride.