Genden E M, Mackinnon S E, Yu S, Hunter D A, Flye M W
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001 May;124(5):481-8. doi: 10.1067/mhn.2001.115168.
Before tracheal transplantation can be considered as a method of reconstruction in patients with extensive circumferential tracheal defects, we must achieve a state of nontoxic, donor-specific tolerance so that the risks of such a transplant do not outweigh the benefits.
Our objective was to determine whether a single intraportal injection of modified donor alloantigen achieves donor-specific immunosuppression for major histocompatibility complex-mismatched rat tracheal allografts.
Buffalo (recipient) rats were pretreated with either a single portal-vein administration of ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated donor splenocytes (n = 4) or an intraportal inoculation of nonirradiated donor splenocytes (n = 4). Major histocompatibility complex-mismatched Lewis (donor) tracheal allograft segments were then grafted into treatment groups 7 days after donor-cell pretreatment. Tracheal rejection was assessed by histologic analysis, mucosal cilia motility, and in vitro immunologic assessment.
The UVB-treated group demonstrated no acute or chronic rejection as well as complete functional recovery. In vitro immunologic assessment demonstrated a donor-specific hyporesponsiveness and donor allospecificity. Untreated animals and those receiving nonirradiated donor splenocytes showed acute rejection of their tracheal allografts.
Recipient pretreatment with intraportally administered UVB-irradiated donor splenocytes prevents rejection of circumferential rat tracheal allograft segments by inducing a donor-specific immune hyporesponsiveness.
