Inhibition of the membrane attack complex of complement for induction of accommodation in the hamster-to-rat heart transplant model.

Background: To induce accommodation in the hamster-to-rat cardiac transplantation model, in addition to cyclosporin A (CSA) to inhibit T-cell-mediated graft rejection, cobra venom factor (CVF) is often used to prevent complement-mediated graft rejection. Although it is generally assumed that CVF makes accommodation possible because it inactivates the complement membrane attack complex (MAC), it is not known which complement components must be inactivated and whether complement activation products generated by CVF are also involved in the induction of accommodation. Therefore, to investigate mechanisms by which CVF contributes to accommodation, we studied induction of accommodation of hamster hearts grafted into rats with complement deficiencies of C6; these rats cannot assemble the MAC but, in contrast to CVF, retain in their native state all complement proteins that precede the MAC.

A soluble chimeric inhibitor of C3 and C5 convertases, complement activation blocker-2, prolongs graft survival in pig-to-rhesus monkey heart transplantation.

Complement plays a critical role in many pathologic processes and in xenograft rejection. Therefore, effective complement inhibitors are of great interest. In pig-to-primate organ transplantation, hyperacute rejection results from antibody deposition and complement activation.