title: Kupffer cell blockade prevents induction of portal venous tolerance in rat cardiac allograft transplantation.
abstract: Pretransplant portal venous (pv) administration of donor antigen induces allospecific partial tolerance. Although the involved mechanism has not been defined, antigen presentation by Kupffer cells (KC) in the liver is considered to be critical. We evaluated the effect of KC blockade on this pv tolerance induction in Buffalo (RT1b) rats receiving Lewis (RT1(1] cardiac heterotopic allografts. Control rats received no treatment, while experimental animals received 25 X 10(6) ultraviolet B-irradiated (12,000 J/m2) donor spleen cells via either the iv (systemic intravenous) or the pv routes 7 days before transplantation. Gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), a rare earth metal known to inhibit KC phagocytosis, was given (7 mg/kg) 1 and 2 days before pv preimmunization. Cardiac graft prolongation was obtained by pv (MST = 13.3 +/- 1.9 days, n = 6, vs control = 7.3 +/- 0.5 days, n = 6; P less than 0.001) but not by iv preimmunization (7.7 +/- 0.7 days, n = 6, NS vs control). KC blockade abolished the pv tolerance, as indicated by abrogation of graft prolongation (PV + GdCl3 = 8.0 +/- 0.8 days, n = 6, NS vs control). These findings suggest that effective alloantigen uptake by KC in the liver is essential for the induction of pv tolerance in rat cardiac transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamei
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Callery
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Flye
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000494:pharmacology; D006085:Graft Survival; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007114:Immunization; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011915:Rats, Inbred BUF; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000528:radiation effects; D013997:Time Factors; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D005682:Gadolinium; C038958:gadolinium chloride