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As 2 O 3 combined with leflunomide prolongs heart xenograft survival via suppressing the response of Th1, Th2, and B cells in a rat model
Author(s) -
Jiao ZhiXing,
Leng Yun,
Xia JunJie,
Wu HaiQiao,
Jin Ning,
Fu JiaZhao,
Cheng LianNa,
Wang JinHua,
Ni ShaoBin,
Qi ZhongQuan
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
xenotransplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.052
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1399-3089
pISSN - 0908-665X
DOI - 10.1111/xen.12238
Subject(s) - leflunomide , xenotransplantation , transplantation , medicine , immunosuppression , immune system , immunology , pharmacology , heterologous , economic shortage , cancer research , biology , rheumatoid arthritis , biochemistry , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics) , gene
Xenotransplantation remits the severe shortage of human organs and tissues for transplantation, which is a problem that severely limits the application of transplantation to the treatment of human disease. However, severe immune rejection significantly limits the efficacy of xenotransplantation. In this study, we systematically investigated the immunosuppressive effect and mechanism of action of As 2 O 3 and leflunomide using a hamster‐to‐rat heart xenotransplantation model. We initially examined heart xenograft survival following As 2 O 3 and leflunomide treatment alone or combined treatment. We found that treatment with As 2 O 3 combined with leflunomide can significantly prolong the survival of heart xenograft by inhibiting Th1 and Th2 differentiation and reducing the production of IgG and IgM. Interestingly, As 2 O 3 and leflunomide showed low toxicity to the organs of the recipient. Taken together, these observations indicate that treatment with As 2 O 3 combined with leflunomide may be a promising immunosuppressive schedule for xenotransplantation.