The combined effect of perioperative donor spleen cells or KCl-extracted antigen and cyclosporine on renal allograft survival in the rat.

The effects of using perioperative cyclosporine in conjunction with pretreatment with donor spleen cells or 3M KCl solubilized extracts of donor antigen were investigated in a LEW-to-DA rat renal allograft model. Cyclosporine given orally in a dose of 10 mg/kg/day around the time of transplantation (days -1, 0, +1), did not prolong renal allograft survival (median survival time [MST]--10 days). However when used in combination with pretreatment with either 10(8) donor spleen cells (1 day before transplantation), or 10(5) donor spleen cells (7 days before transplantation), pretreatment regimens that were in themselves ineffective, DA recipients accepted Lewis renal allografts indefinitely (MST greater than 100 days). Soluble antigen was prepared by 3M KCl extraction from donor spleen cells. Absorption assays were used to quantify the amount of class I major histocompatibility complex antigen in the preparation, and amounts of antigen equivalent to that expressed by 10(6)-10(8) donor spleen cells were used for pretreatment. These soluble antigen preparations given either 1 or 7 days before transplantation with or without perioperative cyclosporine did not prolong allograft survival of either homozygous or heterozygous donors (MST 10 days).