To make sure whether there are stem cells in the pancreas of adult rats and to discover its possible mechanisms of differentiation.

Most of the pancreas in rats (>90%) were resected and digested, then screened out pancreatic stem cells.We implanted these cells in rats subcutaneously, and induced them with different treatment factors.The changes of blood sugar,insulin and glucose tolerance of the rats, immunohistochemistry testing of insulin, CK-19 antigen and HE staining were observed from the grafts.

After islet stem cell transplantation, blood sugar of recipient groups were lower than control groups, while blood insulin and the ability of reaction to sudden stimulation of sugar were higher than control groups, insulin positive cells also seen in the grafts.

There are stem cells in the non-endocrine tissue of pancreas of adult rats, which can differentiate into insulin-secrete cells and show ability to improve blood sugar, insulin level and glucose tolerance condition in the recipient rats after transplantation.