Evidence for Successful Acceptance of Irradiated Free Gingival Allografts in Dogs

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Abstract
Free graft samples were excised via split thickness dissection from two mongrel dogs, washed in lactated Ringer's solution, immersed into tubes containing glycerol and distilled water, and frozen to -55 degrees C. Subsequently the grafts were exposed to 2.5 x 10-6 rads of 60-Co gamma-radiation. The irradiated allogeneic grafts were later reconstituted and surgically transferred to four recipient subjects. Three autogenous nonirradiated grafts were also placed as controls. The animals were killed so as to furnish healing data at 0, 3, 7, 10, and 40 days postoperatively. Fourteen allografts were evaluated. They were judged to be nonantigenic, immunologically incompetent and nonviable. However, retention of an essentially unaltered connective tissue corium may have been instrumental in supporting subsequent epithelial regeneration from adjacent host tissue, while being passively incorporated into a very dynamic receptor zone. The graft thus served as a scaffolding for connective tissue deposition and attachment. It appears that the experimental regime obviated the immunologic interference usually encountered in allografting procedures. Thus, high intensity irradiation of the graft tissue may have rendered the tissue to be immunologically tolerable. Further studies are required to ascertain the duration of the host's immunologic unresponsiveness to the alien tissue, as well as ultimate structural and biologic fate of the transplanted tissues. Experiments are now in progress which have been designed to test the extent of immunologic sensitization induced by the grafted tissue.