Synergistic protective effect of testicular cells expressing Fas ligand and cyclosporine A on the survival of islet allografts / 中华外科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the synergistic protective effect of co-transplanted testicular cells expressing FasL and CsA on survival of islet allografts.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The allogeneic islets and testicular cells were co-transplanted into the renal subcapsular space of the diabetic recipients with or without CsA after operation. Allografts survival period and the testicular cells or islets function were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean survival period of control group was 4.6 +/- 1.1 days. When CsA was administered after transplantation, the mean survival period of islet allografts, (21.8 +/- 4.7) days, was significantly longer than that of control group (P < 0.01). When islets were co-transplanted together with 1 x 10(7) testicular cells (group A), a significant prolongation of graft survival was found (more than 57.5 +/- 4.0 days; P < 0.01 vs. control). But if 1 x 10(7) testicular cells expressing FasL were cultured with FasL-mAb for 30 minutes before co-transplantation (group B), the mean survival period of islet allografts (5.8 +/- 2.6 days), was similar to that in control group, but significantly shorter than that in group A (P < 0.01). When islets and 1 x 10(5) testicular cells were co-transplanted separately into the bilateral renal subcapsular space with CsA (group C), the survival of islet allografts was significantly prolonged in comparison with control group (more than 55.0 +/- 6.5 days; P < 0.01 vs. control), and similar to islets co-transplanted together with 1 x 10(7) testicular cells (group A). When islets were co-transplanted separately with 1 x 10(6) testicular cells without CsA (group D), the mean survival period (11.5 +/- 3.1 days) was shorter than that in group C, but prolonged in comparison to control group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The co-transplanted testicular cells expressing FasL with administering CsA post-transplantation can jointly inhibit immune rejection of islet allografts by different mechanism and play a systemic and synergistic protective role to islet allografts.</p>