Xenotransplantation is an effective way to solve the problem of donor shortage in clinical transplantation. However, clinical use of xenotransplantation is currently limited due to immunological challenges such as acute vascular rejection and cell-mediated rejection. To finally surpass this immunological barrier, more preclinical research is needed into the molecular mechanisms of rejection and the possible effects of new immunosuppressants. Our aim was to create a refined, highly reproducible protocol to establish the most suitable rat-to-mouse heterotopic heart transplantation model using the cuff technique.
Keywords: acute vascular rejection; cell-mediated rejection; cuff-technique; rat-to-mouse model; xenotransplantation.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.