Effects of cyclosporin A and predegeneration on survival and regeneration of peripheral nerve allografts in rabbits.
Axonal regeneration across 64 median nerve grafts in 34 rabbits was studied histologically to determine the optimal conditions for nerve allografting. Axonal regeneration across allografts in cyclosporin A-treated animals was satisfactory, but it occurred more slowly and with more inflammation and fibrosis than in autografts. Without immunosuppression, fresh allografts were rejected. However, in immunocompetent hosts, allografts rendered less immunogenic by predegeneration were not rejected, and axonal regeneration occurred. The combination of cyclosporin A and nerve graft predegeneration produced the most substantial axonal regeneration, comparable to autografts. The observations suggest that nerve allograft survival may be optimally effected by cyclosporin A treatment coupled with reduction in the immunogenicity of the grafts, such as by predegeneration.
de la Monte
S M
SM
Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114.
Bour
C
C
Radhakrishnan
V V
VV
Jupiter
J B
JB
Smith
R J
RJ
Hedley-Whyte
E T
ET
D000818:Animals; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D011817:Rabbits; D014855:Wallerian Degeneration
D003524:Cyclosporins; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents