ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the features and significance of pathologic changes in apoptosis of small bowel allograft during acute rejection in rats. Methods All 24 recipients were equally divided into four groups ; group A: nonoperative control; group B: allograft ; group C: isograft, group D: treatment control. The graft samples were harvested on day 3, 5, 7, 10 after transplantation, and subjected to histologic examination . Mucosal thickness, villous height and crypt depth were measured, and apoptotic cells of intestinal mucosa of grafts on day 3,5 and 7 after transplantation were examined. Results The mucosal structure was normal in group A; The degree of the inflammatory infiltrated cells ,intestinal mucosa cell apoptosis and structural injury of mucosa in group B were significantly severe compared with groups C and D. As the post-transplanted time increased, the number of musocal apoptotic cells and the degree of mucosal structural injury were significantly increased. The degree of mucosal structural injury in group C was milder than in group B. A few infiltrated cells and mild edema of mucosa occurred in group D , but no mucosal structural injury was found. Conclusions Inflammatory cell infiltration, mucosal epithelial cell apoptosis and mucosal structural damage are the main pathologic features of small bowel allograft during acute rejection. Dynamic observation of the pathologic changes and cell apoptosis of small bowel graft is of certain value in the diagnosis of acute rejection of small bowel graft and in assessment of the degree of small bowel injury.