Increase of major histocompatibility complex class II--positive cells in cardiac allografts by interferon-gamma has no impact on graft survival.
The present study was initiated to study the efficacy of donor pretreatment with interferon-gamma to induce class II antigen expression in heart tissue, and to investigate whether this pretreatment would influence heart allograft survival. BN rats were used as donors, and LEW rats as recipients. During a period of 3 consecutive days prior to transplantation, IFN-gamma was administered to BN rats via continuous intravenous infusion at dosages of 10(3), 10(4), and 5.10(4) U/hr. Control animals were infused with PBS; each group consisted of 9 animals. Analysis of IFN-gamma induced class II expression by immunoperoxidase staining revealed a significant, fourfold increase in the number of dendriticlike cells, irrespective of the IFN-gamma dose given (controls: 15 +/- 4 vs. highest dose group: 57 +/- 9 cells/mm2; P less than 0.005). Endothelial cells of arteries and venules remained class II antigen negative. Grafting of hearts from IFN-gamma perfused donors to untreated recipients (6 animals per group), did not result in a shortened or prolonged survival time in any of the experimental groups, as compared to controls. These results indicate that upgrading of class II antigen expression on dendriticlike cells is not likely to be of importance for the process of rejection.
Ijzermans
J N
JN
Department of Surgery, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Bouwman
E
E
van der Meide
P H
PH
Jeekel
J
J
Marquet
R L
RL
D000818:Animals; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D007371:Interferon-gamma