BACKGROUND

Routine application of vascularized composite allotransplantation is hampered by immunosuppression-related health comorbidities. To mitigate these, we developed an inflammation-responsive hydrogel for local immunosuppression. Here, we report on its long-term effect on graft survival, immunological, and toxicological impact.

METHODS

Brown Norway-to-Lewis rat hindlimb transplantations were treated either systemically with daily injections of 1 mg/kg tacrolimus (TAC) or with subcutaneous intragraft injections of hydrogel containing 7 mg TAC, every 70 days. Animals were monitored for rejection or other pathology for 280 days. Systemic and graft TAC levels, regulatory T cells, and donor cell chimerism were measured periodically. At endpoint, markers for kidney, liver, and metabolic state were compared to naive age-matched rats.

RESULTS

Both daily systemic TAC and subcutaneous intragraft TAC hydrogel at 70-day intervals were able to sustain graft survival longer than 280 days in 5 of 6 recipients. In the hydrogel group, 1 graft progressed to grade 3 rejection at postoperative day 149. In systemic TAC group, 1 animal was euthanized due to lymphoma on postoperative day 275. Hydrogel treatment provided stable graft and reduced systemic TAC levels, and a 4 times smaller total TAC dose compared with systemic immunosuppression. Hydrogel-treated animals showed preserved kidney function, absence of malignancies or opportunistic infections and increased hematopoietic chimerism compared with systemic immunosuppression.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate that localized immunosuppression with TAC hydrogel is a long-term safe and reliable treatment. It may reduce the burden of systemic immunosuppression in vascularized composite allotransplantation, potentially boosting the clinical application of this surgical intervention.