UV-B modulation of haplo-identical bone marrow cells in the prevention of GVHD and induction of specific transplantation tolerance to intestinal allografts

Ultraviolet B (UV-B) irradiation of BM cells (BMC) prior to transplantation into lethally gamma irradiated allogeneic rats prevents graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), induces stable allogeneic chimerism and specific tolerance to donor-type allografts. This study evaluated the role of UV-B modulation of bone marrow transplant (BMT) in the prevention of GVHD in the parent (P)-to-F1 hybrid rat combination of Lewis-to-Lewis × Brown Norway F1 (LBNF1) and of subsequent tolerance to small bowel transplantation (SBT). Lethally gamma irradiated (10.5 Gy) LBNF1 recipients of unmodified Lewis BMT (admixture of 108 BMC and 5 × 106 spleen cells) developed lethal GVHD and died within 55 days. Similarly, groups of lethally irradiated LBNF1 recipients of Lewis BMT treated with 100–300 J/m2 UV-B developed GVHD and died within 47 days. All F1 hybrid recipients of Lewis BMT treated with 700 or 900 J/m2 of UV-B permanently accepted their BM grafts, gained weight, showed no clinical evidence of GVHD and survived for > 300 days. These stable chimeras expressed 94–98% donor T-cells in their lymph nodes and became tolerant to BM donor-type (Lewis) SBT when grafted 180 days after BMT. In contrast, similarly prepared F1 recipients rejected BN SBT, thus demonstrating donor specificity. The chimeric rats were specifically unresponsive to donor (Lewis) Ag in MLR while they maintained normal alloreactivity to BN stimulators. These results suggest that UV-B irradiation of BMT offers a promising approach to overcoming the limitations of T-cell depletion of BMT and may offer a useful approach for recipient conditioning for induction of transplantation tolerance.