title: Long-term viability of articular cartilage after microsurgical whole-joint transplantation and immunosuppression with rapamycin, mycophenolate mofetil, and tacrolimus.
abstract: The survival or rejection of articular cartilage in heterotopic vascularized joint transplants in rats immunosuppressed with rapamycin (SDZ RAD), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and tacrolimus was evaluated histologically up to 1 year after surgery. The vascularized knee joint of an ACI donor rat was transplanted to the groin of a Lewis recipient rat. Nonimmunosuppressed allografts were evaluated after 6 weeks and 3 months, and immunosuppressed allografts and control isografts were evaluated after 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. No rejection was seen in the control isografts. All allografts without immunosuppression were rejected at 6 weeks and 3 months. Eighteen of 21 knee joint transplants immunosuppressed with SDZ RAD and 17 of 22 knee joint transplants immunosuppressed with MMF were rejected between 6 weeks and 1 year. SDZ RAD and MMF caused significant side effects including compromised wound healing and bone marrow suppression culminating in weight loss and death. Eighteen of 19 knee joints immunosuppressed with tacrolimus showed no signs of rejection up to 1 year after surgery. Long-term intermittent immunosuppression with tacrolimus was significantly superior to SDZ RAD and MMF in preventing rejection of the transplanted articular cartilage of a vascularized knee joint allograft up to 1 year after surgery.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Hand Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vögelin
authors.forename: Neil F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Uma N M
authors.initials: UN
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006085:Graft Survival; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008866:Microsurgery; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D011912:Rats, Inbred ACI; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid; D020123:Sirolimus; D016559:Tacrolimus