CORRELATION OF ANTERIOR CHAMBER-ASSOCIATED IMMUNE DEVIATION WITH SUPPRESSION OF CORNEAL EPITHELIAL REJECTION IN MICE

Purpose. The authors investigated the effect of anterior chamber corne al (AC) inoculation of genetically graft-identical antigen on T-cell i mmunity and the suppression of alloepithelial. rejection in mice. Meth ods, Antigen-specific suppression of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DT R) and suppression transferability were tested in BALB/c mice injected with irradiated allogeneic B10.D2 splenocytes into AC. Other groups o f BALB/c mice received irradiated B10.D2, BALB/c, or C3H/He spl;enocyt es in the AC of the right eye. Seven days later, B10.D2 or C3H/He corn eal lenticules were grafted at the limbus of the left eye (keratoepith elioplasty). Alloepithelial rejection of each grafted eye nas evaluate d according to clinical findings. The DTH response of the keratoepithe lioplasty recipients against B10.D2 minor antigen was tested at the en d of clinical observation (4 months after grafting). Also examined was spleen component transfer from BALB/c mice with AC inoculation of B10 .D2 splenocytes to syngeneic accepters and its effect on suppression o f epithelial rejection against B10.D2 antigen. Results. Inoculation of B10.D2 splenocytes into BALB/c AC induced antigen-specific DTH suppre ssion, which suppression was transferable. During the 4-month observat ion period, AC inoculation of B10.D2 minor antigen significantly enhan ced the survival of B10.D2-derived epithelium, but not of C3H/He-deriv ed epithelium, in BALB/c mice. However, AC inoculation of BALB/c or C3 H/He splenocytes did not enhance B10.D2 epithelial survival in BALB/c mice. Incapability of antigen-specific DTH response generation was obs erved in the BALB/c mice with B10.D2 splenocytes in the right AC and B 10.D2-derived epithelium in the left eye. Single transfer of spleen co mponents from BALB/c mice with AC inoculation of B10.D2 splenocytes to syngeneic acceptors only delayed B10.D2 minor antigen-stimulated epit helial rejection, whereas supplementary transfers of the identical spl een components at different time intervals showed more significant eff ect in rejection delay, Conclusions. The results showed that AC inocul ation of B10.D2 splenocytes in BALB/c mice induced antigen-specific su ppression of DTH response, in a phenomenon termed anterior chamber-ass ociated immune deviation (ACAID). It also was shown definitely that AC AID can suppress alloepithelial rejection in a murine keratoepitheliop lasty model. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes from ACAID-induced mice merely affords short-term suppression of epithelial rejection, suggest ing that an additional mechanism may be involved in ACAID maintenance.