title: FK 506 reverses acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in rats.
abstract: Severe graft-versus-host disease was induced by transplantation of ACI rat bone marrow and spleen cells into irradiated Lewis rat recipients. Treatment with FK 506 or cyclosporine A (CsA) was started after clinical and histologic evidence of acute GVHD was present. A 14-day course of FK 506 at 1.0 mg/kg/day could rescue 100% of the animals suffering from GVHD. In contrast only one half of the animals treated with CsA at a high dose of 25 mg/kg/day recovered. After cessation of immunosuppressive therapy, FK 506-treated animals displayed a marked prolonged disease-free interval as compared to CsA-treated bone marrow recipients. Recurrence of the disease in these animals could be prevented when FK 506 treatment was continued after the induction period with a low maintenance dose of 0.1 mg/kg/day every other day.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pa.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Markus
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Demetris
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Starzl
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011912:Rats, Inbred ACI; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012008:Recurrence; D016559:Tacrolimus; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003524:Cyclosporins; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016559:Tacrolimus