Acceptance of Xenogeneic Pancreatic Islets after Transplantation into Normal, Immunocompetent Mice
H. Jahr, B. Hußmann, O. Teichert, T. Eckhardt, D. Winter, R. G. Bretzel

Isolated pancreatic islets from Lewis rats were transplanted beneath the kidney capsule of non-immunosuppressed streptozotocin-diabetic C57BL/6J mice. In 7 out of 24 animals, islets still functioned at day 50. This is in contrast to the more rapid rejection of Lewis rat islets when transplanted into Wistar Furth rats. In this allogeneic MHC-incompatible donor/recipient combination, rejection constantly occurs between day 7 and 12 after transplantation. An insufficient direct or indirect antigen presentation can be excluded as the reason for the xenogeneic graft acceptance. Understanding of the specific mechanisms of spontaneous xenogeneic islet graft acceptance in non-immunosuppressed mice may help to overcome the problems of immunological rejection in clinical islet transplantation.

Key words: Pancreatic islet, acceptance, xenogeneic rejection, rat, mice

PD Dr. H. Jahr
Medizinische Klinik III und Poliklinik
Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Rodthohl 6
D-35385 Gießen
E-mail: 064016000@t-online.de

PABST SCIENCE PUBLISHERS Lengerich, Berlin, Riga, Rom, Wien, Zagreb