Castanospermine, an oligosaccharide processing inhibitor, reduces membrane expression of adhesion molecules and prolongs heart allograft survival in rats.

The inhibition of intracellular oligosaccharide processing is a new approach to immunosuppression in allotransplantation. The net effect of such inhibition is reduction in the membrane expression of certain glycoproteins. Hence cell-cell interaction in allorejection may be impaired in the presence of glycoprotein processing inhibitors because the expression of key ligand-receptor pairs of N-linked glycoproteins including adhesion molecules is inhibited.

Behavioral conditioning prolongs heart allograft survival in rats.

Conditioned immunosuppression using a taste aversion paradigm has been demonstrated in a number of laboratory models but few reports have demonstrated changes in immunity sufficient to be of clinical relevance. The experiments reported here demonstrate that the survival of heart allografts in rats can be prolonged by behaviorally conditioned immunosuppression using cyclosporin A (CsA) as an unconditioned stimulus in taste aversion conditioning. Conditioned animals received saccharin as the conditioned stimulus paired with an injection of CsA at 10 and 6 days prior to transplantation.

[Cellular mechanisms in graft rejection of peripheral nerve transplants].

Allogeneic nerve specimens (sciatic nerve) were transplanted in rats. Cyclosporin A was used as an immunosuppressive agent. Under this treatment reinnervation occurred.

[Revascularization of peripheral nerve transplants. Stereomicroangiographic evaluation of revascularization in allogeneic transplants, allogeneic transplants with cyclosporin A therapy and autologous transplants].

Allogeneic nerve grafts of the sciatic nerve longer than 3 cm were transplanted between August- and Wistar rats. One group of animals were treated with 17 mg/kg body weight Cyclosporine A from day 1-28. Autologous nerves served as controls.