Open AccessTHE COURSE OF UNTREATED ACUTE REJECTION AND EFFECT OF REPEATED ANTI-CD3 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY TREATMENT IN RHESUS MONKEY LIVER TRANSPLANTATION
Author(s) -
Gustav Steinhoff,
Margreet Jonker,
G. Gubernatis,
K. Wonigeit,
W. Lauchart,
A. Bornscheuer,
R. Pichlmayr
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.45
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1534-6080
pISSN - 0041-1337
DOI - 10.1097/00007890-199004000-00002
Subject(s) - medicine , immunosuppression , monoclonal antibody , immunology , antibody , liver transplantation , transplantation , clearance , urology
The effect of single and repeated treatment of liver allograft rejection using an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (FN18) was studied in a rhesus monkey model. Eight RhLA-mismatched monkeys received initial postoperative immunosuppression with CsA/prednisolone for 28 days. After cessation, acute rejection occurred in all animals (days 28-50). Control animals (n = 3) receiving no rejection treatment developed a chronic progressive rejection and died at days 112-160. In the animals treated with FN18 (n = 5), the first acute rejection was successfully reversed. T lymphocytes were cleared from the peripheral blood and the graft. Increased class I and class II MHC-antigens on hepatocytes were reduced to normal levels within 5 days of treatment. The second rejection treatment remained ineffective in two animals with antiidiotypic antibodies to FN18 but was successful in two animals with a low antimouse response. These four animals survived 160-509 days. The results have a number of implications regarding the course of untreated rejection in human liver transplant recipients and repetitive rejection treatment with monoclonal antibodies.