ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:As the potent, specific immunosuppressants emerge, the survival rate after intestinal transplantation is improved to some extent. However, the adverse effects of immunosuppressants and expensive treatment costs are not tolerable for many patients. Therefore, it is clinical y meaningful to choose traditional Chinese medicine which presents immunosuppressive effects. Artesunate has immune suppression effect, reduces acute rejection fol owing smal intestine transplantation, and improves the success rate of smal intestine transplantation. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect and action mechanism of artesunate in acute rejection after smal intestine transplantation in rats. METHODS:Al ogeneic smal intestine transplantation models were established in the closed group of Sprague-Dawley rats and Wistar rats, and then were randomly divided into three groups, syngenic transplantation group (SD→SD), al ogeneic transplantation group (Wistar→SD), and artesunate treatment group (Wistar→SD+artesunate 60 mg/kg per day, intraperitoneal injection). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Rats in syngenic transplantation group survived for more than 10 days and they were al kil ed on day 10. The average survival of rats in al ogeneic transplantation group and artesunate treatment group was respectively (6.73±0.58) days and (8.50±0.74) days, with significant differences between the two groups (P0.05), serum interferon-gamma expression level in treatment group was higher than syngenic transplantation group (P<0.05). Artesunate can inhibit acute rejection after rat smal intestine transplantation, and its mechanism may be related to inhibition effect on the secretion and expression of interleukin-2, interferon-gamma and other cytokines.