Total glucosides of peony as adjuvant therapy for prevention of cardiac allograft rejection in rats / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of total glucosides of peony (TGP) as adjuvant therapy for prevention of cardiac allograft rejection in rats. METHODS: Rats with cardiac allograft were randomly divided into control group, tacrolimus-treated group, TGP-treated group and tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group. Graft survival time was observed. Allografts in some cases were examined by histological study seven days after transplantation. At the same time, the levels of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell subsets in peripheral blood were examined by using flow cytometry; the hepatic function and renal function of recipients were also tested. RESULTS: The graft survival time of the tacrolimus-treated group and tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was (11.14+/-1.57) d and (13.57+/-1.99) d, respectively. The graft survival time of the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was longer than that of the tacrolimus-treated group (P<0.05). The histological study showed that the rejection of the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was slighter than that of the tacrolimus-treated group. The levels of CD4(+) T cell subset in the peripheral blood of the tacrolimus-treated and tacrolimus plus TGP-treated groups were (38.71+/-5.15)% and (32.43+/-4.39)% respectively 7 days after transplantation. The level of CD4(+) T cell subset in the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group was lower than that in the tacrolimus-treated group (P<0.05). The level of CD8(+) T cell subset and the hepatic and renal function had no significant differences between the tacrolimus-treated group and the tacrolimus plus TGP-treated group. CONCLUSION: Effects of tacrolimus plus TGP in prevention of rejection are better than tacrolimus monotherapy in rats with cardiac allograft and without increasing side effects.

The function of co-microencapsulated rat islet cell and testicular sertoli cell in vitro / 中国糖尿病杂志

The pancreatic islet cell and testicular sertoli cells of rat were alone-and co-microencapsulated and cultured for 11 days, then insulin concentration of culture fluid was detected.The results showed that islet function in co-microencapsulated group was better than that in co-culture of microencapsulated islet and microencapsulated testicular sertoli cells and also better than that single microencapsulated islet group (P<0.05).

Effect of FK506 and Leflunomide on T-cell subsets after islet xenotransplantation / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective To assess the preventive effects of FK506 and Leflunomide (Lef) on islet xenograft acute rejection in rat-to-mouse models. Methods The islets of rat were transplanted under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse. The recipients were randomly divided into control group, un-treatment group, mono-therapy group and combination-therapy group. All immunosuppressants were administrated daily from 0 to 9 days. CD4 +\, CD8 + T-cell subsets and IL-2 were examined on the 5?th day after transplantation. Results Compared with un-treatment group, xenoislet survival could be significally prolonged in mono-therapy group. Combination-therapy of FK506 with Lef could significantly prolong the survival of xenoislet when compared with FK506 or Lef used alone. The number of CD4 + T-cells in mono-therapy group and combination-therapy group was much less than in un-treatment group. Conclusion Both FK506 and Lef can suppress proliferation of CD4 + T-cells and prevent or delay islet xenograft rejection.