INDUCTION OF REJECTION OF SUCCESSFUL ALLOGRAFTS OF RAT ISLETS BY DONOR PERITONEAL EXUDATE CELLS

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Abstract
A marked prolongation of islet allograft survival of WF islets transplanted into Lewis rats was obtained by in vitro culture (24 C) for 7 days before transplantation and a single injection of antilymphocyte serum (ALS). At 100 days after transplantation, 90% of the diabetic recipients had not rejected the islet transplants and 80% of the rats were aglycosuric. Rejection of established allografts of either ACI or WF islets could be induced by i.v. injection of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) from the donor strains. The number of PECs required to induce rejection was greater than 107 PECs in a single injection. In one recipient, rejection of an allograft of ACI islets was induced by PECs (ACI) at 220 days, a second allograft of WF islets was established and then induced to reject by PECs (WF), followed by the successful allograft of Buffalo rat islets. The simplest explanation for obtaining prolongation of islet allograft survival by this procedure was that passenger leukocytes had been altered or diminished by in vitro culture at 24 C and the single injection of ALS. Other factors that may have played a role in prolonging survival are the diabetic state, the site of implantation of the islets, and the possible production of a tolerant status by the single injection of ALS. Immunological recognition of the islet cells was not altered by these procedures since rejection could be induced by syngeneic PECs.