Prolonged survival of skin allografts in rats treated with heterologous anti-skin serum.

The preparation of donkey anti-rat skin γ-globulin is described. This preparation injected subcutaneously into rats caused a marked prolongation of skin allograft survival times. Absorption experiments of the donkey anti-rat skin γ-globulin with rat liver, leucocytes, erythrocytes, serum and skin preparation as well as the lymphocytotoxic activity of the anti-epidermis serum are described. No correlation between the biological activity of the serum and its lymphocytotoxic activity could be found. Various possibilities explaining the mode of action of the donkey anti-rat skin serum in prolonging allograft survival times are discussed.