Intragraft cellular events associated with tolerance in pig allografts: The “acceptance reaction” (original) (raw)

A SPONTANEOUSLY remitting allograft reaction occurrs in MHC class II matched, class I mismatched pig allografts after short-term, high-dose Cyclosporin A (CyA) treatment.' This animal model provides an ideal opportunity to study the morphological correlates of graft acceptance and has potential relevance to the subclinical reactions seen in human transplant biopsies. We have studied the intragraft cellular events associated with graft acceptance, focusing on the activation, proliferation, and apoptosis in graft infiltrating cells and cell-mediated apoptotic graft cell injury.