EFFECT OF ORGAN CULTURE ON THE SURVIVAL OF THYROID ALLOGRAFTS IN MICE

Abstract

Mouse thyroid can be maintained in organ culture for 4 weeks. Uncultured BALB/c thyroid is rejected 10–15 days after transplantation under the kidney capsule of H-2 disparate recipients (C57BL, CBA). Organ culture of thyroid tissue prior to transplantation prolongs allograft survival. This prolongation of graft survival increases with increasing time in culture and 80–90% of BALB/c thyroids maintained in culture for 26 days survive in allogeneic CBA recipients for a 60− to 70-day test period. These allografts show normal function as measured by 125I uptake, and show no histological evidence of chronic rejection. Cultured allografts can be rejected if the host's immune-system is stimulated with viable leukocytes of donor origin. Host animals carrying a functioning allograft are not tolerant of donor tissues and will reject a second uncultured allograft from the same donor strain.