Absence of graft-versus-host disease in the isolated vascularized bone marrow transplant

• Published in: Transplantation Vol. 77; no. 2; pp. 316 - 319
• Main Authors: TAI, Chau Y, STRANDE, Louise F, EYDELMAN, Riva, XIAOLI SHENG, VANTRAN, Jean-Luc, MATTHEWS, Martha S, HEWITT, Charles W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott 27-01-2004
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow - blood supply; Bone Marrow Cells - cytology; Bone Marrow Transplantation - immunology; Bone Marrow Transplantation - pathology; Combined surgery. Multiple transplantations; Graft vs Host Disease - prevention & control; Medical sciences; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rats; Rats, Inbred BN; Rats, Inbred Lew; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Transplantation, Homologous - immunology; Immunopathology; Graft(material); Stem cell; Hematopoietic cell; Homograft; Graft versus host reaction; Transplantation; Homotransplantation; In vitro; Osteoarticular system; Treatment; Host versus graft disease; Surgery; Bone marrow; Graft; Bone; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0041-1337; 1534-6080
• DOI: 10.1097/01.TP.0000101511.11171.EF

An isolated vascularized bone marrow transplant (iVBMT) model was developed to study the contribution of the bone marrow component in a composite tissue allograft. We hypothesized that the iVBMT would be functional and cause graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in a fraction of the recipients. Lewis iVBMT grafts were transplanted to Lewis-Brown Norway recipients. Animals were sacrificed at various times from 1 to 14 weeks. Polymerase chain reaction for microchimerism was performed on the host's marrow. No animals exhibited signs of GVHD at death. Histologic examination of the grafts showed a normal mix of hematopoietic and fatty elements and appeared to be functional. Tissues usually affected-tongue, ear, liver, and gut-also showed no evidence of disease. Polymerase chain reaction demonstrated microchimerism in both groups. These findings suggest that the vascularized bone marrow within a composite tissue allograft is not the component that causes GVHD; rather, it may serve an immunomodulatory function for tolerance induction.