Background: Donor-specific blood transfusion prior to transplantation has been demonstrated to prolong allograft survival. This study compared the effect of donor-specific blood transfusion after kidney, heart, pancreas, and skin allotransplantation in congenic rats of reciprocal strain combinations across a major histocompatibility complex barrier.
Study design and methods: Whole donor-specific and third-party blood was administered to the prospective graft recipients 14 and 7 days before the transplantation of kidney, heart, pancreas, and skin. Rejection was defined by cessation of organ-specific function (i.e., uremia, cessation of heartbeat, and recurrence of diabetes). The survival of skin grafts was monitored visually. All allografts were histologically assessed immediately after rejection or at the end of a 100-day observation period.
Results: Donor-specific blood transfusion leads to permanent acceptance of all renal allografts. LEW.1U heart allografts were accepted by LEW.1A recipients, but they were rejected in the reciprocal situation. Survival of pancreas and skin allografts was not significantly prolonged. Third-party blood had no effect on allograft survival.
Conclusion: The beneficial effect of donor-specific blood transfusion depends on both the kind of transplanted organ and the genetic incompatibility involved. The precise mechanisms responsible for the remarkable organ-specific differences remain unknown.