Antiviral and immunomodulatory effects of desferrioxamine in cytomegalovirus-infected rat liver allografts with rejection

Background. Cytomegalovirus (CMCV) infection is associated with acute and c hronic allograft rejection. We have recently shown that rat CMV increases p ortal inflammation and bile duct destruction in a model of rat liver allogr aft rejection. Desferrioxamine (DFO), an iron chelator and antioxidant, has recently been demonstrated to have antiviral as well as immunomodulatory e ffects in vitro. We therefore investigated whether DFO inhibits (a) CMV inf ection and (b) graft destruction in our rat model. Methods. One day after liver transplantation, PVG; (RT1(c)) into BN(RT1(n)) , the rats were infected with rat CMV (RCMV, Maastricht strain; 10(5) plaqu e-forming units i.p.). The effects of 100 mg/kg body weight and 200 mg/kg b ody weight DFO were examined. Results. In the untreated group, the grafts were uniformly RCMV culture-pos itive. In the group receiving 200 mg/kg DFO, RCMV replication was effective ly inhibited. Inflammatory response in the graft, and especially the number of macrophages, was significantly reduced by DFO. Portal inflammation and bile duct destruction were also significantly reduced. In the untreated gro up, the bile duct epithelial cells were found to be strongly positive for t umor necrosis factor-alpha and this expression was clearly decreased by DFO . In addition, DFO significantly inhibited vascular cell adhesion molecule- 1 expression on sinusoidal endothelial cells, Conclusions. Our in vivo transplant study strongly supports the inhibitory effects of metal chelators on CMV infection and their possible usefulness i n the treatment of CMV-induced pathogenic changes.