Lymphocyte blastogenesis assay as a probe of acute allograft rejection in canine lung transplantation

In order to establish the exact method for detection of onset of acute allograft rejection in lung transplantation, attempts were made to evaluate serial non-specific lymphocyte blastogenesis tests including PHA (phytohemagglutinin) response and spontaneous blastogenesis of peripheral lymphocyte. The recipient of lung allotransplantation showed a decreased response to PHA (P < 0.05) and an increased spontaneous blastogenesis (P < 0.001) at the period of allograft rejection as compared to those obtained preoperatively, whereas the histologic findings of the lung transplant always revealed a manifestation of rejection. In many cases, these phenomena were not infrequently correlated and preceded to the rejection episode detected on serial chest X-ray films, whereas there were no particular changes in both parameters of dogs bearing enhanced allografts. A specific lymphocyte function test should be necessary to differentiate a rejection from an infection phenomenon which is apt to occur in the transplanted lung; however, we believe that serial detection of spontaneous blastogenesis as we studied in this paper could be one of the useful methods for early prediction of rejection episode in lung transplantation.