[Can man live with a pig kidney?].
The transplantation of organs from one species to another introduces a question of compatibility not seen in allotransplantation, the ability of a kidney to perform its physiological function in the new host environment. It has been assumed that an allotransplanted organ will function normally if is not rejected; ample experience supports this assumption. This luxury will not exist in the field of xenotransplantation, where the issues of comparative physiology will assume great importance. From many standpoints, the pig kidney seems an ideal donor for xenotransplantation. They are of similar size and have remarkably similar internal anatomy. Even if the immunological problems could be overcome, there is almost no direct experimental evidence to answer the question of whether or not a pig kidney can function in a human body.
Valentin
J F
JF
Service de néphrologie-immunologie clinique, CHU Bretonneau, Tours.
Lebranchu
Y
Y
Nivet
H
H
D000818:Animals; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*