title: Pathophysiologic mechanisms of acute graft-vs.-host disease.
abstract: Graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) remains the major toxicity of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Mechanistic studies in experimental animal models provide a better understanding of the complex relationships and cascade of events mediated by cellular and inflammatory factors. Also, advances in basic immunology have cleared the way for a more precise view of allogeneic reactions between donor and host. In addition, the use of mutant mice lacking critical cytolytic proteins has helped map out the molecular pathways by which GVHD targets organ damage. In this article, these mechanisms are reviewed and synthesized into a coherent conceptual framework, providing a state-of-the-art summary of the pathophysiology of acute GVHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School and University of Michigan Cancer Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0942, USA. ferrara@umich.edu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Chao
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000009:adverse effects