Prolongation of Rat Islet Allograft Survival by Direct Ultraviolet Irradiation of the Graft

Abstract

Ultraviolet irradiation of rat dendritic cells completely abrogated their allostimulatory capacity in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. Rat islets of Langerhans similarly irradiated remained hormonally functional when transplanted into syngeneic diabetic rats. Allogeneic transplantation across a major histocompatibility barrier of islets initially treated in vitro with ultraviolet irradiation resulted in prolonged allograft survival without the use of any immunosuppressive agents.