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Effect of Immunological Differences on Rat Aortic Valve Allograft Calcification
Author(s) -
LUPINETTI FLAVIAN M.,
COBB SANDRA,
KIOSCHOS HANS C.,
THOMPSON SUE ANN,
WALTERS KATHERINE S.,
MOORE KENNETH C.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of cardiac surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1540-8191
pISSN - 0886-0440
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8191.1992.tb00776.x
Subject(s) - medicine , calcification , aortic valve , cardiology
A bstract Calcification may be a cause of allograft valve degeneration. To determine whether immunological differences between donor and recipient affect the degree of calcification that occurs, adult Lewis rats received aortic valve allografts transplanted heterotopically into the abdominal aorta. All valves were transplanted immediately after harvest. The valves were not exposed to antibiotics or albumin before insertion. Valve donors were of the Lewis (syngeneic), F344 (weakly allogeneic, RT1 compatible, non‐RT1 incompatible), LBN F1 (moderately allogeneic, one haaplotype identical, one haplotype incompatible at the RT1 and non‐RT1 loci), and Brown Norway (strongly allogeneic, RT1 and non‐RT1 incompatible) strains. Valves were harvested 3–12 weeks following transplantation. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion x‐ray microanalysis were performed on one leaflet of each valve to evaluate calcium content. Calcium content expressed in counts (mean ± standard error) according to donor strain were: Lewis, 1642 ± 233; F344, 4853 ± 1412; LBN F1, 4714 ± 823; and Brown Norway, 4358 ± 835. Significant differences (p < 0.05) existed between valves from Lewis donors and those from each other strain. No differences among the other strains were statistically significant. It is concluded that syngeneic valve allografts calcify less than allogeneic grafts. However, the degree of allogenicity did not influence the magnitude of calcification.