Post-Transplant Immune Tolerance in Rats Following Lymphocyte Injection Into the Anterior Chamber of the Eye

Abstract

Objective. We aimed to compare the clinical and histopathological results of skin graft transplants between rats that had been injected with lymphocytes into the anterior chamber of the eye with those that had not. Methods. A total of 16 Wistar albino, male rats were included in the study. Subjects were divided into 2 groups, namely a test group and a control group. Lymphocyte suspensions derived from the subjects of the control group were injected into the anterior chamber of the eye of each opposing subject of the test group. Also, an identical volume of physiological saline was injected into the anterior chamber of each subject in the control group to prevent bias. One week after this procedure, circular skin grafts of 1 cm in diameter were transplanted within the opposing groups. After a period of 1 week, transplanted graft tissues were excised to compare tissue healing. Results. The occurence of granulation and reepithelialization was more evident in the test group (96% and 33%, respectively, vs 80% and 17% for the control group, respectively). On the other hand, it was determined that acute inflammation was more intense in the control group (77% vs 50% for the test group). Conclusion. We had created immune tolerance in rats through anterior chamber lymphocyte injection, which slowed down the rejection process. If this can be successfully implemented in practice, survival for transplant patients without long-term rejection will move closer to becoming a reality.