title: Pachymic acid, a novel compound for anti-rejection: effect in rats following cardiac allograft transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pachymic acid (PA), a natural triterpenoid, is known to significantly reduce cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in vitro through initiation of mitochondria dysfunction. However, its effect on immune cells and anti-rejection following organ transplantation remains unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we investigated PA as a treatment to control acute rejection occurred in rats which had accepted cardiac transplantation. We measured apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBLs), and CD4(+) lymphocyte, as well as the number of CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes and the effect of PA on acute rejection in rats 7 days after cardiac transplantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PA treatment might decrease allograft rejection, protect PBLs from apoptosis, and reduce the percentage of CD8(+) lymphocyte. PA neither regulated the number nor the apoptosis rate of CD4(+) lymphocyte.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicated that PA has an anti-apoptotic effect acting on PBLs through a novel mechanism involving stabilization of the PBLs mitochondrial transmembrane potential, an anti-rejection effect in rats after cardiac transplantation and an inhibiting effect to CD8(+) lymphocyte.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, First Hospital Affiliated to Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xue-feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bai-chun
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong-yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chun-yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zong-hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Guo-wei
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014315:Triterpenes; C102487:pachymic acid