EFFECTS OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE TREATMENT ON REJECTION OF HEART ALLOGRAFTS IN RATS

The effect of a number of immunosuppressive drug regimens, including Imuran, prednisolone, and antilymphocyte serum, on the rejection pcattcrn of hetcrotopic heart allografts has been studied in rats. The results have been compared with those obtained previously with kidney allografts in the same host-donor combination and using identical immunosuppressive treatment. In all groups of experiments, rejection of cardiac allografts was less effectively prevented than was that of kidney grafts. The same difference was noted when partial lymphatic ablation was employed to suppress the immunological reactivity of the host. The differences in responses to immunosuppressive treatment between heart and kidney allografts are attributed to specific properties of the respective organs rather than to differences in surgical techniques. © 1969 by The Williams and Wilkins Co.