ACAID induced by allogeneic corneal tissue promotes subsequent survival of orthotopic corneal grafts.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether immune deviation is induced by allogeneic corneal tissue implanted in the anterior chamber and whether survival of subsequent orthotopic corneal allografts is thereby enhanced.


METHODS
Corneal tissue from C57BL/6 mice was implanted in the anterior chamber of eyes of BALB/c mice. The fate of these implants was assessed histologically, and the donor-specific immune response of recipient mice was tested for donor-specific delayed hypersensitivity and the capacity to accept or reject C57BL/6 corneas grafted orthotopically into the fellow eye.


RESULTS
C57BL/6 cornea implants in the anterior chamber failed to induce donor-specific delayed hypersensitivity but impaired donor-specific delayed hypersensitivity in a proportion of recipients with implants in place for 2 weeks. Mice with donor-specific delayed hypersensitivity rejected the intraocular implants. Mice bearing C57BL/6 cornea implants in the anterior chamber for 2 (but not 4) weeks accepted the C57BL/6 corneas grafted orthotopically into the fellow eye at a high rate and with few rejection reactions.


CONCLUSIONS
Implantation of allogeneic corneal tissue in the anterior chamber of the eye has the transient capacity to alter the recipient alloimmune response in a manner that promotes survival of subsequent orthotopic corneal allografts.
Sonoda
A
A
Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Medical University, Japan. sotyan@twics.com
Sonoda
Y
Y
Muramatu
R
R
Streilein
J W
JW
Usui
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000601:surgery*; D003315:Cornea / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology*; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous