Abstract
The upregulation of chemokine genes and the subsequent T-lymphocyte recruitment to the graft are early events in the development of acute cardiac transplant rejection or cardiac allograft vasculopathy. In the present study, a combined immunosuppressive regimen of C-X-C motif chemokine 9 (CXCL9) antibody (Ab), CXCL10 Ab and FTY720 was used in order to reduce the infiltration of memory T lymphocytes and prolong graft survival in a retransplantation murine model. BALB/c donor hearts were transplanted heterotopically into C57BL/6 mice at day 28 after skin transplantation. The mice were divided into four groups: i) Control (normal saline), ii) CXCL9 Ab and CXCL10 Ab [150 μg; once daily (qd); intraperitoneal (ip)], iii) FTY720 (0.2 mg/day; qd; ip) and iv) combined (2 mg/kg/day; qd; ip). Measurements of the median survival time of the cardiac grafts, histological examination, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a mixed lymphocyte reaction were performed. The median graft survival time of the combined group was prolonged (9.3 days) compared with that of the control group (3.5 days) (P<0.001). Histological examination revealed that the combined treatment group graft rejection pathological score was 0.50, while the control group score was 3.62 (P<0.001). In addition, the gene expression level of interleukin (IL)-2 was significantly lower and the levels of IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were significantly higher in the combined group compared with those in the control group (P<0.001). Furthermore, the serum concentration levels of IL-2 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were significantly lower (P<0.001) and the concentration of IL-10 was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the combined group compared with those in the control group. In the mixed lymphocyte reaction, T-cell proliferation was found to be significantly lower in the combined treatment group than that in the control group (P<0.001). In conclusion, treatment with CXCL9 Ab and CXCL10 Ab or FTY720 reduced the graft infiltration of inflammatory cells, inhibited T-cell proliferation and prolonged graft survival. The combined treatment regimen of CXCL9 Ab, CXCL10 Ab and FTY720 was found to significantly reduce the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the graft and prolong graft survival.