Use of indium-111-labeled cells in measurement of cellular dynamics of experimental cardiac allograft rejection.

This study evaluates the kinetics and utility of infused indium-111-labeled cells in detecting rejection in ACI to Lewis rat heart allografts. Syngeneic leukocytes, lymph node lymphocytes, and platelets were isolated and labeled with indium-111 (111In) oxine, respectively, and were infused i.v. into Lewis rats carrying beating ACI or syngeneic hearts from post-transplant days 0 to 6. Recipients were imaged serially at 24 hr after infusion of labeled cells followed by excision of both native and transplanted hearts for direct isotope count. Labeled leukocytes accumulative progressively in the allograft with the scan becoming positive by post-transplant day 4. The ratio of allograft to native heart isotope counts rose from 1.25 on day 1 to 10.07 (P less than 0.0001) on day 7. The Lewis recipients infused with labeled lymphocytes showed a positive scan on days 6 and 7 whereas the allograft to native heart isotope count ratio rose from 0.97 on day 1 to 5.33 (P less than 0.001) on day 7. Recipients infused with 111In-labeled platelets showed a positive scan on days 5 to 7 and the allograft to native heart isotope count ratio rose sharply from 2.56 on day 4 to 16.98 (P less than 0.005) on day 7. Syngeneic heart grafts failed to demonstrate significant accumulation of any of the labeled cell population. These studies confirm the importance of nonlymphocytic cells in cellular rejection, evaluate the kinetics of graft invasion by the various cell types, and suggest that the techniques used afford a method for a safe and an early detection of allograft rejection.