title: Infiltrating cell phenotypes and patterns associated with hepatic allograft rejection or acceptance.
abstract: The association of inflammatory cell infiltration with orthotopic rat liver transplant rejection was studied by immunopathologic evaluation of allografts at different time points using high- and low-responder strain combinations. PVG(RT-1c) recipients of ACI (RT-1a) liver transplants had prolonged survival (greater than 100 days) without immunosuppression. In contrast, Lewis (RT-1l) recipients of ACI liver transplants had severe acute rejection with mean survival of 10.7 +/- 0.5 days (n = 9). Graft recipients of both strain combinations, as well as control syngeneic PVG-to-PVG and Lewis-to-Lewis graft recipients were sacrificed at various time points posttransplant. Sections of livers were evaluated in a masked fashion for histologic changes as well as the extent and phenotype of cellular infiltrates, as determined by immunoperoxidase labeling using monoclonal antibodies OX1 (pan leukocyte), W3/13 (pan T cell), W3/25 (T helper cell:Th), and OX8 (T cytotoxic-suppressor:Tc-s). The results suggest that: the intensity and relative distribution of rat hepatic allograft T cell infiltrates at a given time point do not necessarily correlate with eventual outcome; the intensities of W3/25 (Th) and OX1 (pan-leukocyte) cell infiltrates parallel each other in both high- and low-responder strain combinations; the relative ratio of T cells (W3/13) to non-T cells increases over time in low-responder strains but remains relatively constant in high-responder strains during active rejection; and the relative ratio of W3/25:OX8 (Th:Tc-s) decreases in high-responder strains but increases in low-responder strains.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D007249:Inflammation; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011912:Rats, Inbred ACI; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal