Immunosuppressive effect of nucleoside-nucleotide-free diet in rat allogeneic small intestinal transplantation

Background We evaluated the effects of nucleosides (NS) and nucleotides (NT) on the rejection of rat allogeneic small intestinal transplants. Methods A 2-cm segment of jejunum from fetal Fischer rats (RT-1^lvl) was transplanted at day 19 of gestation into the abdominal wall of 7-week-old Lewis rats (RT-1^l) by a nonvascular technique. Two weeks before transplantation, recipient rats were separated into an NS-NT-free group and an NS-NT-supplemented group. At 2 days after transplantation, histologic study of the grafts was performed with hematoxylin-eosin staining and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production estimated in recipient blood using an ELISA method. The morphologic findings were graded in a blind fashion on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 indicating an intact intestinal structure. Results Mean plasma IL-2 levels of the NS-NT-free group were significantly lower than those of the NS-NT-supplemented group. The mean rejection score of the NS-NT-free group was also significantly lower than that of the NS-NT-supplemented group. Conclusions Administration of an NS-NT-free diet reduces acute rejection in rat small intestinal transplantations.