HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

Cellular and Molecular Biology

Function of inflammatory cells and neoral cyclosporin-A in heart transplant-associated coronary vasculopathy

J. Buján, F. Jurado, M.J. Gimeno, M. Rodriguez and J.M. Bellón

Department of Morphological Sciences and Surgery (Surgical Research Laboratory), Faculty of Medicine, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

Offprint requests to: Prof. Julia Buján, PhD, Department of Morphological Sciences and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alcalá, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,600, 28871-Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain. Fax: 34-91-885-48-85. e-mail: mjulia.bujan@uah.es

 

Summary. The role of Sandimmun Neoral® (S-n) and the immune response in transplant-associated coronary vasculopathy (TACV) was evaluated in a Lewis (Lew)-to-Fischer-344 (F344) rat abdominal heterotopic heart transplant model. Some of the transplant recipients were treated with S-n (5mg/kg/day) for 14 days post-transplant, or until sacrifice. Grafts were subjected to immunohistochemical (ED1, CD4, CD8 and a-actin+ cells) analysis from day 7 to 100 post-transplant. Singenic controls did not develop TACV, irrespective of whether they had received the drug or not. TACV was detected in Lew-F344 transplants regardless of S-n administration with participation of ED1+, CD8+ and a-actin+ cells, although its incidence was lower in animals receiving prolonged S-n treatment. In this model, accelerated arteriosclerosis of the graft appeared to be related more to the rejection effect than to the action of the immunosuppressive agent. Histol. Histopathol. 16, 197-203

Key words: Heart transplant, Coronary vasculopathy, Sandimmun Neoral, Inflammatory cells

DOI: 10.14670/HH-16.197