The effects of interferon-alpha/beta in a model of rat heart transplantation.
Interferons have multiple immunologic effects. One such effect is the activation of expression of cell surface antigens. Interferon alpha/beta enhance expression of class I but not class II histocompatibility antigens. Contradictory information has been published regarding the effect of interferon-alpha/beta administration in patients with kidney transplantation. In a model of rat heart transplantation we demonstrated that administration of interferon-alpha/beta accelerated rejection in a dose-dependent fashion in the absence of maintenance cyclosporine. Animals treated with maintenance cyclosporine had evidence of increased rejection at 20 days that was resolved completely at 45 days with cyclosporine alone.
Slater
A D
AD
Department of Surgery, University of Louisville, KY 40292.
Klein
J B
JB
Sonnenfeld
G
G
Ogden
L L
LL
Gray
L A
LA
D000818:Animals; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D016899:Interferon-beta; D016572:Cyclosporine