ORIGIN OF REGENERATED EPITHELIUM IN CRYOPRESERVED TRACHEAL ALLOTRANSPLANTATION

Background. Our previous study showed that a cryopreserved tracheal al lograft could be transplanted using omentopexy without immunosuppressi on. The present study investigated, by the polymerase chain reaction-r estriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method, whether the regenerated epithelia were of recipient origin or donor origin in a c ryopreserved tracheal allotransplantation model. Methods. Twenty-nine mongrel dogs were classified by preoperative peripheral blood PCR-RFLP analysis. The cryopreserved tracheal allografts were implanted into r ecipient animals that showed a different phenotype from donor animals. A small specimen of epithelia excised from the allograft of animals p ostmortem was analyzed with the modified PCR-RFLP method. Results. The animals were separated into 16 phenotypes by preoperative FCR-RFLP re sults, and cryopreserved tracheal allografts transplanted into 8 anima ls. PCR-RFLP analysis of graft epithelia at 10 days after transplantat ion showed the donor blood phenotype and analysis of graft epithelia t aken from the animals that survived more than 20 days after operation showed the recipient blood and epithelial phenotype. Conclusions. The donor epithelia in the grafts were no longer present within about 20 d ays after transplantation. The recipient epithelia migrated gradually from the anastomotic site, and the regenerated epithelia that are of r ecipient origin covered the allograft within about 50 days after trans plantation. (Ann Thorac Surg 1998;66:205-8). (C) 1998 by The Society o f Thoracic Surgeons.