STABILIZATION OF ISLET ALLOGRAFTS BY TREATMENT OF RECIPIENTS WITH ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATED DONOR SPLEEN CELLS

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Abstract
Culture of mouse pancreatic islets in an oxygen-rich atmosphere before transplantation facilitates long-term allograft survival without the use of immunosuppression. A comparison of the capacity of ultraviolet (UV) irradiated and live spleen cells of donor origin to induce allograft rejection showed that UV-irradiated spleen cells were not immunogenic: live spleen cells were immunogenic and their injection triggered allograft rejection. Following treatment with irradiated spleen cells from about day 30 post-transplantation, recipient animals were able to withstand subsequent challenges with 106 and 107 viable donor spleen cells. Untreated animals rejected their graft when challenged with 106 donor spleen cells. That is. treatment with UV-irradiated cells stabilized the islet allograft by inducing a state of tolerance. Subsequent transplantation of stabilized animals with uncultured thyroids of both donor origin and from a third party strain demonstrated that the tolerance was specific. In vitro test of immune reactivity showed this tolerance was not due to the deletion of antigen reactive cells.