Combined treatment with regulatory T cells and vascularized b marrow transplantation creates mixed chimerism and induces donor-specific tolerance to vascularized composite allografts without cytoreductive conditioning

摘要

We demonstrate herein that combination treatment with regulatory T cells (T _(regs)) and vascularized bone mar-row transplantation (VBMT) can achieve stable mixed chimerism and long-term transplantation tolerance to vascularized composite allografts (VCA) without requiring cytoreductive recipient conditioning in rats. An appreciable number of T_(regs)of recipient origin was shown at the interface between recipient and transplanted VCA tissues, implicating a significant role for T_(regs) in protecting VCA from rejection. This cytoreduction-free protocol using co-treatment with T_(regs) and VBMT warrants further investigation toward potential clinical application for VCA transplantation.