title: Prolongation of skin allograft survival in rats by the transplantation of microencapsulated xenogeneic neonatal porcine Sertoli cells.
abstract: Skin rejection remains a major hurdle in skin reconstructive transplantation surgery. In fact, 85% of the grafted patients experience at least one episode of acute skin rejection in the first year. It has been observed that Sertoli cells (SC), when co-transplanted with allo- or xenogeneic cell/tissues, can induce graft acceptance in the absence of systemic immunosuppression. A method aimed at significantly prolonging skin allografts in rats transplanted with barium alginate-based microencapsulated xenogeneic porcine SC (SC-MCs) is described. Results demonstrated that intraperitoneal (IP) transplantation of SC-MCs with high cellular viability and function can significantly prolong allogeneic skin grafts when compared to transplantation controls receiving only empty alginate capsules (E-MCs). Lymphocytic infiltration at the skin graft site was not observed in 80% of the SC-MCs transplanted rats and these recipient animals showed a significant increased expression of T regulatory (Tregs) cells when compared to E-MCs transplantation controls. The findings of this report further substantiate the positive therapeutic effects of SC on transplantation technology mediated by Sertoli cell-induced alterations of the host's immune system and indicate new perspectives and new strategies for successful skin tissue allografts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bistoni
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calvitti
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arato
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Falabella
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cucchia
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fallarino
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Becchetti
authors.forename: Tiziano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baroni
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazzitelli
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nastruzzi
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bodo
authors.forename: Ennio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Becchetti
authors.forename: Don F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luca
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calafiore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002214:Capsules; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004339:Drug Compounding / Q000379:methods*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology*; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C500522:Foxp3 protein, rat; D012333:RNA, Messenger