Prolongation of skin graft survival in mice by in vitro PUVA treatment and failure of induction of specific immunological memory by PUVA-treated grafts.

Treatment of murine skin grafts in vitro with 8-methoxypsoralen and longwave ultraviolet radiation prolonged their subsequent survival on allogeneic recipients, but not in cases where the recipients had been presensitized by a former skin graft of the same donor strain. In contrast to normal skin, grafts pretreated with 8-methoxypsoralen and longwave ultraviolet radiation were not able to induce an immunological memory as revealed by a second transplantation of normal skin. The results show that primary and secondary skin graft rejection can be affected by the combined action of psoralen and ultraviolet radiation.