Abstract
Insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells are important for the regulation of glucose metabolism in vivo. Loss of beta cells could lead to diabetes. So far, islet transplantation is an effective way for diabetes therapy, but the shortage of donors limits its extensive application. Therefore, study on beta cell regeneration has great significance for the clinical treatment of diabetes. The major cellular sources of beta cells mainly include endogenous beta cell proliferation, pluripotent stem cell differentiation, and trans-differentiation from other non-beta cells. The existence of endogenous pancreatic stem cells or progenitors in adults remains controversial in the field. In this review, we briefly summarize the research advances of beta cell regeneration and discuss the potential problems of these approaches, to improve our understanding on the mechanisms of beta cell regeneration and provide theoretical information for clinical application.
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