title: Effect of CD4+ memory T cells on rejection response of ectopic heart transplantation in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  CD4(+) memory T cells mediate resistance of the body to infection by exotic pathogens. This study investigated the effects of alloreactive CD4(+) memory T cells on acute graft rejection responses toward ectopic hearts in the abdominal cavities of mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  BALB/C mice were used as recipients and C57BL/6 mice as donors. The animals in the CD4(+) memory T-cell group were infused with CD4(+) memory T cells, those in the other group were infused with nonsensitized CD4(+) T cells, and those in the control group received no CD4(+) T cells. Heart transplantation was performed at 3 weeks after the cell infusion with cyclosporine administered beginning 1 day before transplantation via intraperitoneal injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survival among the CD4(+) memory T-cell group was significantly shorter than that of the nonsensitized CD4(+) T-cell group or the control group (P < .01; n = 10). There was no significant difference between the survival times of the nonsensitized CD4(+) T-cell group and the control group (P > .05; n = 10). On the 5th day after the transplantation of heart, the histologic grades of the nonsensitized CD4(+) T-cell and the blank control group were lower than those of the CD4(+) memory T-cell group. There was no significant difference in the histologic grades between the nonsensitized CD4(+) T-cell and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CD4(+) memory T cells that mediate acute rejection of allografted hearts are insensitive to cyclosporine.
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital, Xiaman University, Xiamen, Fujian, China. yongxiang_zhao@126.com
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL