Search

In the NOD/Lt recipient mice, disease recurrence in untreated isografts was extremely rapid (median less than 10 days) compared to the rejection of an untreated BALB/c pancreas graft in a CBA mouse (median 26 days). This would be expected since disease recurrence is a secondary response in diabetic mice with lymphocytes primed to respond to the beta-cell autoantigen. The median survival time for the untreated CBA to NOD/Lt pancreas graft falls, as expected, between these two survival times (median 20 days). Although anti-CD4 and/or anti-CD8 were effective in delaying or stopping autoimmune disease recurrence and rejection in the separate models, they were unsuccessful in significantly altering survival times in the combined model, despite using 2-mg doses and dual therapy. Similar doses of anti-CD4 have failed to prevent islet allograft rejection in NOD/Lt mice. Long-term dual treatment may be required to inactivate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the NOD/Lt mouse to prevent both autoimmune disease recurrence and rejection. NOD/Lt recipients will require greater immunosuppression to prevent rejection-autoimmune disease recurrence will be easier to prevent. This study shows the value of using NOD/Lt mice, with naturally occurring type 1 diabetes, for assessment of immunosuppressive therapy to prevent failure of pancreas transplants.