Vadori Marta, Cozzi Emanuele
CORIT (Consortium for Research in Organ Transplantation), Legnaro, 35020 Padua, Italy.
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2014 Apr 1;4(4):a015578. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a015578.
Xenotransplantation, or the transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs between different species, was proposed a long time ago as a possible solution to the worldwide shortage of human organs and tissues for transplantation. In this setting, the pig is currently seen as the most likely candidate species. In the last decade, progress in this field has been remarkable and includes a better insight into the immunological mechanisms underlying the rejection process. Several immunological hurdles nonetheless remain, such as the strong antibody-mediated and innate or adaptive cellular immune responses linked to coagulation derangements, precluding indefinite xenograft survival. This article reviews our current understanding of the immunological mechanisms involved in xenograft rejection and the potential strategies that may enable xenotransplantation to become a clinical reality in the not-too-distant future.
异种移植，即不同物种之间细胞、组织或器官的移植，早在很久以前就被提出，作为解决全球人体移植器官和组织短缺问题的一种可能方案。在这种情况下，猪目前被视为最有可能的候选物种。在过去十年中，该领域取得了显著进展，包括对排斥过程背后的免疫机制有了更深入的了解。然而，仍存在一些免疫障碍，例如与凝血紊乱相关的强烈抗体介导的以及先天性或适应性细胞免疫反应，这使得异种移植无法无限期存活。本文综述了我们目前对异种移植排斥所涉及的免疫机制的理解，以及可能使异种移植在不久的将来成为临床现实的潜在策略。
