title: Indium-labeled presensitized T cells for diagnosis of graft rejection.
abstract: The aim of this experiment was to test a safe, noninvasive method for necessary, accurate diagnosis of early allograft rejection. Heart-lung allograft was performed heterotopically using Brown Norway (BN) rats as the donor and Lewis (LEW) rats as the recipient. T cell suspensions were prepared from lymphnodes of specifically sensitized LEW rats that had acutely rejected full-thickness BN skin graft. Cell count was adjusted 50 x 10(6) cells/ml. The suspension was incubated in vitro with 111I oxide (1 m Ci-ml). An aliquot of labeled cell suspension containing 40 x 10(6) cells and a total radioactivity of 200 mCi was administered intravenously to each animal 3 and 6 days after heart-lung transplant. The traffic of T cells was followed in vivo and in isolated organs under large field view gamma camera. The gamma camera revealed radioactivity on the graft starting Postoperative Day 5 when the heart was actively beating; no radioactivity was revealed at the site of the isografted organs. The histology showed mild to moderate cellular infiltration parallel to the grade of radioimaging intensity. The injection of indium-labeled presensitized T cells was able to detect the rejection process in an early phase when there are no clinical symptoms of rejection and/or the rejection cascade can be reversed. These results suggest that a similar method can be used in human organ transplantation for early diagnosis of rejection.
authors.affiliation: Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, La Jolla, California 92037.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomer
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Gittes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016041:Heart-Lung Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007205:Indium Radioisotopes