A Model of Isolated, Vascular Whole Thymus Transplantation in Nude Rats

作者:Zhao, D; Wang, L; Na, N; Huang, Z; Miao, B; Hong, L*
来源:Transplantation Proceedings, 2012, 44(5): 1394-1398.
DOI:10.1016/j.transproceed.2011.10.055

摘要

Background. We used a model of vascularized thymus lobes as a whole isolated organ transplantation in rats. Materials and Methods. Male Fisher rats (F344, RT11v1; n = 10) and male homozygous Rowett nude rats (rnu/rnu; n = 10) were used as donors and recipients, respectively. Both vascular lobes of the thymus as a whole isolated organ were heterotopically transplanted to the neck of recipients. The right common carotid artery of the donor thymus was anastomosed end-to-end to the homonymous artery of the recipient. The anterior vena cava and the left brachiocephalic vein of the donor thymus were anastomosed end-to-side to the right and left external jugular veins of the recipient, respectively. Histological examination was used to monitor graft viability; graft function was assessed using flow cytometry (FCM) and immunologic effects by skin grafts in vivo. Results. All recipients survived. Preparation of the donors and recipients took 35.6 +/- 5.5 minutes and 60.3 +/- 15.1 minutes, respectively. The blood supply to the thymus graft was patent. Histology of the thymus on postoperative days 14, 56, and 112 revealed viable grafts with preserved microarchitecture. FCM analysis showed 37.18 +/- 11.1% CD3+ T cells at day 21 after transplantation. Skin grafts from F344 and Rowett rats survived 8-10 and more than 30 days, respectively, whereas all third-party Sprague Dawley grafts were rejected within 5 days. Conclusion. We developed a novel model of isolated, direct vascularized whole thymus transplantation in nude rats, in which both lobes of the fully vascularized thymus were harvested en bloc for successful transplantation.