Abstract
Rat aortic allografts immunosuppressed with cyclosporin--but not with azathioprine or steroids--develop an early inflammatory lesion in the subendothelial space. This "endothelialitis" is followed by an influx of proliferating smooth muscle cells into the intima, resulting in intimal thickening and accelerated arteriosclerosis. Administration of azathioprine and steroids largely ameliorates the development of the accelerated lesion. Similar endothelialitis and accelerated arteriosclerosis have been observed previously in the autopsy material of cardiac transplant recipients. Our results confirm the suggestion that the development of accelerated allograft arteriosclerosis is most likely linked to cyclosporin administration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 173-9 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Transplant Int |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 1991 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- Animals
- Aorta, Thoracic/drug effects
- Arteriosclerosis/chemically induced
- Azathioprine/therapeutic use
- Cyclosporine/toxicity
- Disease Models, Animal
- Drug Therapy, Combination
- Endothelium, Vascular/drug effects
- Graft Rejection/drug effects
- Humans
- Immunoenzyme Techniques
- Immunosuppression
- Methylprednisolone/therapeutic use
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/pathology
- Rats
- Time Factors
- Transplantation, Homologous