Tolerance induction of rat liver transplantation by infusion of apoptotic spleen cells from in vivo

Objective To study the immune tolerance of rats receiving liver transplantation after infusion apoptotic cells from donors 1 week before the transplantation. Methods The rats were divided into 5 groups. Each of the former 4 groups had 10 SD rats and 10 Wistar rats and the last group had 10 F344/N rats. In the former 4 groups, one SD rat received infusion of apoptotic spleen cells from one Wistar rat induced by intraperitoneal injection of dexamethasone (3 mg/kg/d) for 3 days 1 week before liver transplantation. Then the SD rat received orthotopic liver transplantation from the same Wistar rat. The blood levels of ALT and TBil were determined and liver pathological changes and survival time observed. Results The blood levels of ALT and TBil were significantly lower, survival time markedly longer and pathological changes slighter in the rats receiving infusion of apoptotic cells from donors 1 week before the liver transplantation than in other rats (P0.05). Conclusions Infusion of apoptotic spleen cells from in vivo dexamethasone-treated donor rats can induce immune tolerance in the rats after liver transplantation.