title: [Mechanisms of purified cobra venom factor in preventing hyperacute rejection following discordant liver xenotransplantation in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the mechanisms of purified cobra venom factor (CVF) in preventing hyperacute rejection (HAR) and prolonging recipient survival following discordant liver xenotransplantation in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  All animals were divided into two groups, group I (n = 20), unmodified recipients as control; group II (n = 20), xenograft recipients were treated with 50 microg/kg CVF i.v. on day-1. The pathologic changes of liver were observed and TNF-alpha of blood serum was detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recipient survival after CVF treatment is significantly prolonged compared with unmodified recipients (1.8 +/- 0.6 vs.7.4 +/- 2.1 h, P < 0.01). Histologically, widespread thrombosis, interstitial haemorrhage, C3 deposits on sinusoids and central veins characterized xenografts of the control group. Xenografts of the CVF group showed endothelium swelling and cellular infiltrate, no deposit of C3 was detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Purified CVF can prevent guinea pig-to-rat liver xenografts from HAR and extend recipient survival. Preconditioning with CVF, guinea pig-to-rat combination is a useful life-supporting model to explore further mechanisms of discordant liver xenotransplantation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organ Transplantation, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
authors.forename: Zheng-dong
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chang-qing
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Qun-hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yu-liang
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Xing-ding
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wan-yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D004546:Elapid Venoms; C016310:cobra venom factor