title: Influence of gadolinium-induced kupffer cell blockade on portal venous tolerance in rat skin allograft transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intraportal injection of donor antigens delays rejection of allografts (portal venous tolerance). The study aimed to investigate the possible influence of prior gadolinium chloride (Gd)-induced Kupffer cell blockade on tolerance to non-vascularized skin allografts induced by means of donor-specific intraportal blood transfusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wistar rats (n = 10) were used as donors and Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 70) as recipients of a non-vascularized skin graft. Recipients were divided into groups according to the manipulations prior to transplantation, as follows: (1) no manipulation; (2) donor-specific intrajugular blood transfusion; (3) donor-specific intraportal blood transfusion; (4) Gd administration and donor-specific intrajugular blood transfusion; (5) Gd administration and donor-specific intraportal blood transfusion; (6) Gd administration, and (7) intraportal saline infusion. In a first set of experiments, these manipulations were performed once. In a second set of experiments, the same manipulations were performed twice. Skin allograft was performed 7 days after the last manipulation in all groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group 3 showed the highest skin graft survival, particularly after repeated blood transfusion. Graft survival in this group was significantly higher than in any other group. Conversely, group 5 showed the lowest graft survival, particularly after repeated blood transfusion. Graft survival in this group was significantly lower than that of groups 1, 2, 3 and 7.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this model of skin allograft transplantation, Gd administration abrogates and can even reverse the tolerogenic effect of repeated donor-specific intraportal blood transfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Diaz-Peromingo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Quintela
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006085:Graft Survival; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D005682:Gadolinium; C038958:gadolinium chloride