Immunological enhancement of skin allografts in the rat. Role of vascular and lymphatic reconstitution.
Four skin graft models are created which vary in the rates of lymphatic and vascular reconstitution. Rat allografts (Brown Norway or (L times BN)F1 hybrid) transplanted to Lewis recipients by conventional (immediate lymphatic, delayed vascular), surgical anastomosis (immediate lymphatic, immediate vascular) or isolated anastomosis (delayed lymphatic, immediate vascular) techniques have similar mean survival times (7.8 days). Grafts placed on an isolated recipient pedicle (delayed lymphatic, delayed vascular) double the mean survival time to 15.6 days. Treatment with alloimmune serum, able to indefinitely prolong survival of similarly mismatched renal grafts, prolongs only isolated anastomosed grafts. In contrast, cyclophosphamide treatment prolongs survival of all groups. These results suggest, first, that both vascular and lymphatic routes of sensitization are equally effective and, second, that immunological enhancement requires either prompt vascular continuity or a persistent lack of lymphatic reconstitution.
D000792:Angiography; D000818:Animals; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007106:Immune Sera; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D007106:Immune Sera; D003520:Cyclophosphamide