title: Immunosuppressive effect of nucleoside-nucleotide-free diet in rat allogeneic small intestinal transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated the effects of nucleosides (NS) and nucleotides (NT) on the rejection of rat allogeneic small intestinal transplants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 2-cm segment of jejunum from fetal Fischer rats (RT-1(lvl)) was transplanted at day 19 of gestation into the abdominal wall of 7-week-old Lewis rats (RT-1(l)) by a nonvascular technique. Two weeks before transplantation, recipient rats were separated into an NS-NT-free group and an NS-NT-supplemented group. At 2 days after transplantation, histologic study of the grafts was performed with hematoxylin-eosin staining and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production estimated in recipient blood using an ELISA method. The morphologic findings were graded in a blind fashion on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 indicating an intact intestinal structure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean plasma IL-2 levels of the NS-NT-free group were significantly lower than those of the NS-NT-supplemented group. The mean rejection score of the NS-NT-free group was also significantly lower than that of the NS-NT-supplemented group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Administration of an NS-NT-free diet reduces acute rejection in rat small intestinal transplantations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. ogita@pedsurg.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogita
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uesugi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D023421:Models, Animal; D009705:Nucleosides / Q000172:deficiency*; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000172:deficiency*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D009705:Nucleosides; D009711:Nucleotides