C.-H Kuo

Role of nonimmunological factors in islet graft failure.

ISLET transplantation has led to insulin independence in humans with type 1 diabetes, but these grafts usually fail in a few weeks or months. The reasons for the failure of these transplants are not clear, but both immunological and nonimmunological factors may be involved. Graft rejection and autoimmune recurrence, which may destroy the transplanted islets, are the two main immunological problems after transplantation. Besides, most immunosuppressive agents, such as prednisolone, cyclosporine (CyA), and FK 506, are toxic to b cells. However, immunological factors alone cannot explain the early and late graft failures of islet autotransplants in large animals and the discrepancies between the long-term success of whole pancreas transplantation and the limited survival of islet transplantations in humans. In the present study, we investigated the long-term outcome of syngeneic mouse islet transplantation to elucidate the role of nonimmunological factors in islet graft failure.