Organ Transplantation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Organ Transplantation, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery.

Strain-specific in vitro cytokine production profiles do not predict rat liver allograft survival.

Warlé MC, Metselaar HJ, Kusters JG, Zondervan PE, Hop WC, Segeren KC, Kwekkeboom J, Ijzermans JN, Tilanus HW

Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The aim of this study was to assess whether differences in cytokine production between inbred rat strains could explain differences in liver allograft survival. Splenocytes from five different strains were cultured with Concanavalin A to determine in vitro cytokine production profiles. Strain-specific TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6 and IL-10 responses in naive animals were not associated with survival after rat liver transplantation. To investigate whether in vitro cytokine responses changed during the allogeneic inflammatory response, Brown Norway livers were transplanted to Lewis and Pivold Virol Glaxo recipients. During the early postoperative phase IL-6 and IL-10 (Th2-like) responses were significantly up-regulated in Lewis recipients, whereas Th2-like responses were not increased in Pivold Virol Glaxo. Our results do not support the generally held view that differential in vitro cytokine responses are related to liver allograft survival but suggest that cytokine responses are affected by the allogeneic inflammatory response after liver allografting.

Published 1 August 2005 in Transpl Int, 17(12): 779-86.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Organ Transplantation Research Today. All Rights Reserved.