[The role of IL-15 in the process of acute rejection in liver and heart transplantation in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To study the real effect of IL-15, a kind of T lymphocyte activators which were derived from lymphocytes, on the acute rejection process in heart and liver transplantation in rats.


METHODS
Male (body weight 200 - 250 g) 1A (RT1(a)) and LEW (RT1(l)) rats were selected as donors and recipients, respectively. Heterotopic heart transplantation (in abdomen) and orthotopic liver transplantation were performed as the acute rejection model group (experimental group); LEW (RT1(l))-->LEW (RT1(l)) as donors and recipients to establish isografts transplantation as the control group. Animals were sacrificed on day 1, 3, 5, 7 and graft specimens were collected. Microarray, immunohistochemistry and Western-blotting methods were used to detect the expressions of IL-15, IL-2 and IFN-gamma, etc. 48 rats were divided evenly into two groups and each time-point consisted of 6 rats.


RESULTS
Acute rejections which were clarified by pathological findings and animal manifestations were found 3 days after operation in the experimental group. The early expression of IL-15 was found on endothelial cells in allografts 1 day after operation in contrast to IL-2, which expressed lately and only be found on inflammatory cells including lymphocytes and Kupffer cells 3 days after graft implantation. The result of INF-gamma was the same as that of IL-2.


CONCLUSIONS
IL-15 appeared earlier in heart and liver allografts than IL-2 and IFN-gamma in rat acute rejection model, and the expression site differed from the later two. IL-15 participated in acute rejection reaction earlier in this process and the pathway may be different from IL-2 and IFN-gamma. Early blocking this pathway combined with other blockade would have a promising result in control of the progression of acute rejection.
Liang
Ting-bo
TB
Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China. tbliang@163.net
Xu
Dong-yu
DY
Zheng
Shu-sen
SS
Li
Jian-hua
JH
Liu
Zhi-qiang
ZQ
Fan
Shang-da
SD
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000209:etiology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000502:physiology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew
D019409:Interleukin-15; D007376:Interleukin-2