Immunoreactive insulin content of 203 pancreases from foetuses of healthy mothers

Insulin has been reported as extractable from the pancreas of human foetus from 10--12 weeks gestationM age [3, 6], or about the period when islet cells can be clearly seen in sections [3, 5, 4]. But insulin synthesis has been reported to procede B granulation in the pancreas from human foetuses [3], as well as in those of rat, rabbit, mouse and hamster [2]. Also one report mentioned tha t insulin was demonstrable in the heart blood of a 12 week old human foetus [6]. As endogenous insulin secretion may play an important role in foetal growth, i t seemed important to assess the pancreatic content of insulin a t different gestational periods. But the available reports have dealt only with a few observations and have not assessed the pancreatic insulin content in relation to age. The present paper reports the immunoreactive insulin (IRI) content of 203 pancreases from human foetuses aged 11--27 weeks.