Objective: To examine the expression of nestin and neurogenin 3 (Ngn3), the markers of pancreatic stem cells, in the human fetal pancreas.
Methods: The human fetal pancreas tissue of 12 and 14 weeks were examined for the expression of nestin and Ngn3 using the techniques of immunofluorescence dye and RT-PCR.
Results: Both nestin and Ngn3 expressed widely in 12 and 14 weeks before in human fetal pancreatic tissue. In these positive cells there was no co-expressing insulin or glucagon. There were nestin and Ngn3 co-expressing cells in ducts but not in the islets. The results of RT-PCR also indicated the expression of nestin and Ngn3.
Conclusions: There was no expression of the markers of mature endocrine cells in the nestin and Ngn3 positive cells, and they were the marks of no-differentiation cells in the human fetal pancreatic tissue.