Microsurgical techniques for experimental kidney transplantation and general guidelines to establish studies about transplantation immunology

Experimental models of organ transplantation played a crucial role to establish the principles of transplantation immunology. The renal transplantation in rodents became the most used model to study the mechanisms of allograft rejection. To perform it, it is necessary to master the microsurgery techniques and the research group should cooperate with other specialists in the field. In this article we review the surgical techniques employed in rats, and we draw guidelines to establish studies about transplantation immunology.