Current Drug Targets - Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders - Volume 5, Issue 3, 2005

Although cell-mediated rejection has remained the most common form of graft rejection after organ transplantation, antibody-mediated rejection has recently gained much significance in clinical transplantation. New evidence points to an antibody-mediated rejection contributing not only to hyperacute and acute but also to chronic allograft rejection. In addition, in discordant xenotransplantation, severe forms of antibody-me Read More

Antibody-mediated barriers to renal transplantation, including donor specific anti-HLA and anti-blood group antibodies, have become an increasingly important issue over the last forty years as the organ shortage has continued to expand. The inevitable result of the unmet demand for compatible organs has been a continuous increase in recipient waiting times. Over the last decade, two treatment strategies have b Read More

In order for ABO-incompatible organ transplantation to be performed successfully, the antibody response must be targeted. Aggressive strategies are usually required both to remove pre-existing antibodies directed at donor A/B antigens and to suppress further production of antibodies. If this can be accomplished in the short-term, graft accommodation of ABO-incompatible transplants may develop upon eventual re-accumula Read More

Antibody-mediated mechanisms are central to the rejection that occurs when pig organs are transplanted into primates. In this article, the histopathological features of the humoral rejection process in these species combinations, namely hyperacute rejection and acute humoral xenograft rejection, will be illustrated. The profile of the natural and elicited antibodies involved will also be discussed. It has now been d Read More

The use of animal organs for transplantation in humans is seen as a potential solution to the short supply of human donor organs available for clinical transplantation. However, to develop this therapeutic option as clinical reality will require surmounting formidable obstacles. The primary immunologic barrier to pig-to-human xenotransplantation is hyperacute rejection (HAR), a phenomenon previously characterized as res Read More

Given the ability of the B cell compartment to acquire tolerance to self we cannot explain why spontaneous humoral tolerance does not arise following transplantation. Here we review the fundamental mechanisms of B cell tolerance that operate in development and direct the reader to possible mechanisms that may explain how B cell tolerance fails to develop following transplantation