Rat-to-Chinese tree shrew heart transplantation is a novel small animal model to study non-Gal-mediated discordant xenograft humoral rejection.

Unlabelled: Since α-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout (GalT-KO) pigs became available, there has been an increasing interest in non-Gal natural antibody (nAb)-mediated xenograft rejection. To better understand mechanisms of non-Gal nAb-mediated rejection, a simple small animal model without gene manipulation would be extremely valuable. Here, we tested whether the Chinese tree shrew (CTS), which is a small-sized mammal that is phylogenetically close to primates, could serve as a model for discordant xenograft rejection.

Arsenic Trioxide Induces T Cell Apoptosis and Prolongs Islet Allograft Survival in Mice.

Background: T cell-mediated immune rejection is a key barrier to islet transplantation. Preliminary studies have shown that arsenic trioxide (As2O3) can inhibit T cell responses and prolong heart allograft survival. Here, we sought to investigate the possibility of using As2O3 to prolong islet allograft survival in an acute rejection model of Balb/c to C57B/6 mice.