NERVE REGENERATION AND ORIGIN OF SCHWANN-CELLS IN PERIPHERAL-NERVE ALLOGRAFTS IN IMMUNOLOGICALLY PRETREATED RATS

For peripheral nerve allografts, the conditions for successful nerve r egeneration and the possibility of transplanting Schwann cells were ex amined using a model of pretreated rats. Incomplete immunosuppression was achieved in recipient rats with donor red blood cell infusions giv en before allogeneic nerve grafting (RBC group). The origin of Schwann cells in the grafts was assessed by immunohistochemical staining from 1 week to 12 weeks after transplantation. In the RBC group, the repla cement of donor Schwann cells by recipient cells was detected at 3-8 w eeks, with the graft being filled with many of these cells at all time s, and successful nerve regeneration was seen after 12 weeks on morpho metric and electrophysiologic evaluations. In peripheral nerve allogra fts, pretreatment with donor-specific blood transfusion did not induce significant immunosuppression compared with allotransplantations of s ome tissues and organs. Clinically, if the state of immunosuppression can be controlled by RBC transfusion, it is possible that donor tissue s may be replaced by recipient tissues and that nerves will regenerate successfully.