title: Comparison of in vivo lymphocyte proliferation between allogeneic and xenogeneic heart transplantation in mice.
abstract: There are controversial in vitro data comparing the strength of the cellular immune response between allogeneic and xenogeneic stimulator/responder combinations. The present study therefore compares in vivo lymphocyte proliferation using heart transplantation (HTx) models in mice. Heterotopic HTx into BALB/c mice was performed using donor organs from mice (BALB/c and C57BL/6) or Lewis rats. Intraperitoneally given bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was incorporated into the DNA and was subsequently analyzed by flow cytometry. On postoperative days 3 and 5, proliferation of splenocytes, CD4(+) T-lymphocytes, and CD19(+) B-lymphocytes was significantly higher after xenogeneic than after allogeneic and isogeneic HTx. No significant difference was observed when proliferation of CD8(+) lymphocytes was determined. The increased in vivo proliferation after xenotransplantation may reflect an earlier and probably stronger cellular immune response compared to allogeneic transplantation. The higher CD4(+) lymphocyte proliferation underscores the importance of this cell population in xenograft rejection.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Transplantation Immunology, Department of Surgery, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. rkellers@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kellersmann
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kellersmann
authors.forename: Arnulf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thiede
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ulrichs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000963:Antimetabolites / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology*; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000276:immunology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000963:Antimetabolites; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine