Long-term donor-specific tolerance in rat cardiac allografts by intrabone marrow injection of donor bone marrow cells

BACKGROUND: Donor-specific central tolerance in cardiac allograft can be induced by hematopoietic chimerism via conventional intravenous bone marrow transplantation (IV-BMT). However, there are problems with IV-BMT, such as the risk of graft failure and of the toxicity from conditioning regimens. METHODS: A new method for heart transplantation is presented. This method consists of administration of fludarabine phosphate (50 mg/kg) and fractionated low-dose irradiation (3.5 Gyx2 or 4.0 Gyx2), followed by intrabone marrow injection of whole bone marrow cells (IBM-BMT) plus heterotopic heart transplantation. RESULTS: Cardiac allografts with IBM-BMT were accepted and survived long-term (>10 months) showing neither acute rejection nor chronic rejection including cardiac allograft vasculopathy by such conditioning regimens. In contrast, cardiac allografts with conventional IV-BMT were rejected within 1 month after the treatment with irradiation of 3.5 Gyx2 or within 3 months after the treatment with irradiation of 4.0 Gyx2. Macrochimerism (>70%) was favorably established and stably maintained by IBM-BMT but not IV-BMT. Low levels of transient mixed chimerism (<7%) were induced by IV-BMT with fludarabine plus 4.0 Gyx2, but the chimerism was lost within 1 month after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that IBM-BMT is a feasible strategy for the induction of persistent donor-specific tolerance, enables the use of reduced radiation doses as conditioning regimens, and obviates the need for immunosuppressants.     

Induction of donor-specific tolerance to rat cardiac allografts by intrathymic inoculation of bone marrow.

BACKGROUND. Induction of donor-specific tolerance to tissue or organ allografts can readily be achieved by administration of allogeneic bone marrow to neonatal rodents; however, in adult recipients induction of transplantation tolerance by this strategy generally requires intensive cytoablative conditioning. Described here is a novel method of promoting transplantation tolerance that involves inoculation of donor bone marrow into the thymus of transiently immunosuppressed adult recipients. METHODS. Prospective Wistar-Furth recipients were inoculated with allogeneic Lewis bone marrow cells (BMCs) either intrathymically or intravenously in conjunction with a single dose of antilymphocyte serum 2 to 3 weeks before receiving donor-strain cardiac allografts. Recipients were monitored for graft survival and examined for presence of hematopoietic chimerism. RESULTS. Intrathymic but not intravenous inoculation of donor BMCs led to permanent survival of donor-strain cardiac allografts, whereas third-party Dark agouti cardiac allografts were rejected promptly. Persistence of donor chimerism was demonstrated in the thymus of Wistar-Furth recipients of intrathymic Lewis BMCs for as long as 3 weeks after BMC inoculation. CONCLUSIONS. Intrathymic inoculation of BMCs concurrently with a single dose of antilymphocyte serum induces donor-specific unresponsiveness to rat cardiac allografts. The unresponsiveness may be the result of deletion or functional inactivation of alloreactive clones maturing in a thymus bearing donor alloantigen. Intrathymic inoculation of BMCs deserves further evaluation as a possible clinical strategy for the induction of transplantation tolerance.     

骨髓移植诱导临床心脏移植后供者特异性免疫耐受方案的探讨

目的 探讨骨髓移植诱导临床心脏移植后供者特异性免疫耐受的可行性.方法 采取供心的同时采用改良"灌流法"获取供者的骨髓350 ml,经过滤及离心处理后,加入细胞冷冻保护液共80ml,分装于低温冻存袋,经程序降温,置于-80℃冰箱中保存.在常规原位心脏移植术后40 d,取冻存骨髓快速复温,穿刺受者双侧髂后上嵴,立即行骨髓腔内骨髓细胞输注(IBM-BMT),共输注单核细胞1.2×107/kg,CD34+细胞2.38×105/kg.骨髓输注前3 d行预处理,包括应用氟达拉滨、抗胸腺细胞球蛋白及全身淋巴结照射.骨髓移植后静脉应用他克莫司(Tac),维持血Tac浓度谷值在10～20μg/L;3周后改为口服Tac+吗替麦考酚酯(MMF);6周后改为环孢素A及MMF.分别于心脏移植后2、4、8和12周采集受者外周血,分别于术后4、8和12周采集受者的骨髓,应用短串联重复序列-聚合酶链反应法检测供者嵌合体.心脏移植后每周行心肌内心电图检查,每月行心肌活检1次.术后3个月,取受者及第三者外周血单核细胞,行混合淋巴细胞反应(MLR).结果心脏移植后1、2及3个月时受者的外周血及髂骨内骨髓细胞中供者来源的细胞比例分别为26.3%、19.1%、4.8%和46.3%、24.4%、7.6%.IBM-BMT后心肌内心电图监测显示心肌阻抗及R波波幅无明显变化.术后3个月行心内膜心肌活检,未见排斥反应征象.术后3个月时行超声心动图检查,提示心脏舒张、收缩功能良好.MLR提示受者对供者特异性刺激呈现低反应性,而对第三者仍保持良好的免疫活性(P＜0.01).结论 采取分期骨髓移植免疫耐受诱导方案可安全、有效地建立嵌合体,成功诱导心脏移植后供者特异性免疫耐受,但远期效果有待进一步研究.

Abstract：

Objective To investigate a new strategy of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for donor-specific tolerance induction after heart transplantation. Methods Donor bone marrow cells (BMCs)were harvested simultaneously with donor cardiac graft using modified perfusion method (PM) ,then stored in a -80 ℃ refrigerator after filtration and centrifugation. Whole BMCs (IBM-BMT) (monocytes 1.2 ×107/kg,CD34+ cells 2.38× 105/kg) in host iliac bones were injected into the bone marrow cavity 40 days after heart transplantation. Preconditoning regimens that consisted of fludarabine, antithymoctye globin and total lymphoid irradiation were performed 3 days before BMT. Tacrolimus (Tac) was administrated intravenously after BMT or orally in conjunction with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 3 weeks later.Cyclosporine and MMF were orally administrated 6 weeks later. Donor chimerism was detected using short tandem repeats-polymerase chain reaction in monocytes from peripheral blood at the 2nd,4th, 8th or 12th week after BMT or BMCs at the 4th, 8th or 12th week after BMT. Intramyocardium electrocardiography examination or endomyocardial biopsy was performed weekly or monthly respectively. Mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) were performed 3 months after BMT. Results Donor chimerism in monocytes in peripheral blood or BMCs in iliac bones measured at the 1 st,2nd and 3rd month after BMT was 26.3%, 19.1%,4.8% ,and 46.3%, 24.4%, 7.6%, respectively. After 3-month follow-up, there was no rejection confirmed by endomyocardial biopsy or intramyocardium electrocardiography. Echocardiography revealed that the diastolic and systolic function of the cardiac graft was maintained well 3 months after BMT. MLR revealed donor-specific hyporesponsiveness while immunocompetence was preserved to third-party antigens. Conclusion These findings indicate that the two-stage BMT strategy is a safe and feasible method for the induction of donor-specific tolerance via stable mixed chimerism and needs to be further confirmed after a long-term observation.     

骨髓移植诱导特异性免疫耐受同种皮肤移植的动物实验研究

目的　证实通过动物实验模型的骨髓移植可以诱导同种皮肤移植的免疫耐受。方法　将 114只日本白色家兔和Dutch家兔分为对照组和实验组 ,日本白色家兔作为供体 ,Dutch家兔作为受体。对照组 ,在不使用免疫抑制剂的情况下 ,将 12只日本白色家兔与 12只Dutch家兔行相同面积的背部全厚皮肤互换移植 ,观察其成活时间。实验组 ,将 4 5只日本白色家兔和 4 5只Dutch家兔行全厚皮肤移植的同时行骨髓移植 ,然后将作为受体的Dutch家兔分为A ,B ,C ,D四组 ,分别行非致死量的γ射线全身照射的骨髓细胞移植及同种皮肤移植 ,观察移植皮肤的成活时间。结果　对照组 ,供体与受体移植皮肤的平均成活时间分别为 (12 .0± 1.7)天和 (10 .3± 1.3)天。实验组 ,A ,B ,C ,D四组移植皮肤的平均成活时间分别为 (6 1.0± 7.2 )、(80 .7± 10 .4 )、(78.8± 12 .7)、(88.0± 6 .0 )天。结论　通过骨髓移植导特异性免疫耐受同种皮肤移植的动物实验 ,旨在为临床应用提供了理论基础及可靠依据 ,为同种组织重建提供一个新方法     

骨髓移植诱导特异性免疫耐受同种皮肤移植的动物实验研究

目的证实通过动物实验模型的骨髓移植可以诱导同种皮肤移植的免疫耐受.方法将114只日本白色家兔和Dutch家兔分为对照组和实验组,日本白色家兔作为供体,Dutch家兔作为受体.对照组,在不使用免疫抑制剂的情况下,将12只日本白色家兔与12只Dutch家兔行相同面积的背部全厚皮肤互换移植,观察其成活时间.实验组,将45只日本白色家兔和45只Dutch家兔行全厚皮肤移植的同时行骨髓移植,然后将作为受体的Dutch家兔分为A,B,C,D四组,分别行非致死量的γ射线全身照射的骨髓细胞移植及同种皮肤移植,观察移植皮肤的成活时间.结果对照组,供体与受体移植皮肤的平均成活时间分别为(12.0±1.7)天和(10.3±1.3)天.实验组,A,B,C,D四组移植皮肤的平均成活时间分别为(61.0± 7.2)、(80.7± 10.4)、(78.8± 12.7)、(88.0± 6.0)天.结论通过骨髓移植导特异性免疫耐受同种皮肤移植的动物实验,旨在为临床应用提供了理论基础及可靠依据,为同种组织重建提供一个新方法.     

Prolongation of graft survival in ALS-treated mice by donor-specific bone marrow. Density gradient fractionation of the active bone marrow cells

Antilymphocyte serum (ALS)-treated recipient mice that are infused with donor bone marrow cells have been shown to enjoy prolonged skin graft survival. In the present experiments, discontinuous density gradient centrifugation in Percoll was used to prepare fractions of these cells. Two of four fractions had good graft-prolonging ability. In experiments in which the density of the gradients was varied, we were able to estimate the density of a major portion of the cells active in graft prolongation as being in a range of 1.061 to 1.066 g/ml, and to produce one fraction with superior graft-prolonging activity. This fraction constituted only 10% of the recovered cells, was enriched for small-to-medium lymphocytes, Ia+, Thy-1+, and IgM+ cells, and contained cells bearing a marker known to be present on active cells, Fc gamma R. Additionally, this fraction contained cells capable of suppressing the mixed lymphocyte reaction, although two denser fractions, of poor-to-good graft-prolonging ability, also shared this ability. The effectiveness of this method in bringing about a high-capacity, rapid isolation of cells that can augment graft survival in immunosuppressed recipients makes it well suited for future clinical application.     

Prolongation of impure murine islet allografts with antilymphocyte serum and donor-specific bone marrow.

The inclusion of contaminating nonislet tissue in allografts of purified islets of Langerhans has been shown to decrease allograft survival times in unimmunosuppressed mice. Our current work examines the effectiveness of antilymphocyte serum and donor bone marrow cell infusion on the survival of very impure islet allografts. Treatment of B6AF1 mice with peritransplant antilymphocyte serum plus posttransplant infusion of donor (C3H/HeJ) bone marrow was very effective at prolonging contaminated allograft survival. ALS plus BMC was also effective for even more immunogenic allograft situations; mice that received contralateral transplants of adult and neonatal tissue, and mice that received dual transplants of adult islets. Long-term graft-bearing mice that originally received ALS and BMC were challenged with C3H/HeJ skin grafts. These mice exhibited several different types of response. Four of thirteen appeared sensitized to donor antigen, four rejected the skin grafts in approximate first-set fashion, and five showed limited prolongation, with skin grafts surviving 20-48 days. Long-term graft-bearing mice were also tested in in vitro proliferative assays. As responders in mixed lymphocyte reactions, splenocytes (SPC) from only one of eight appeared to show specific unresponsiveness to donor cells. Four of eight had a normal proliferative response and stimulation index to stimulation with C3H/HeJ SPC. SPC from three did not produce a normal stimulation index, but had an abnormally high (3x normal) background proliferation. SPC from seven of eight of these mice were able to suppress the proliferative response of naive B6AF1 SPC to C3H/HeJ cells. Our conclusions are that while ALS plus BMC are very effective in prolonging islet allograft survival, this treatment does not appear to be uniformly inducing a state of immunologic unresponsiveness in these mice. It appears that multiple mechanisms are acting to maintain islet allografts in this system, either independently or sequentially.     

Evaluation of donor-specific transfusion sources: unique failure of bone marrow cells to induce prolonged skin allograft survival with anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody

BACKGROUND: Treatment with anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody (mAb) plus a donor-specific transfusion (DST) of spleen cells prolongs skin allograft survival in mice through a mechanism involving deletion of host alloreactive CD8(+) T cells. It is unknown if other lymphohematopoietic cell populations can be used as a DST. METHODS: Murine recipients of allogeneic skin grafts on day 0 were either untreated or given a DST on day -7 plus 4 doses of anti-CD154 mAb on days -7, -4, 0, and +4. Deletion of CD8(+) alloreactive cells was measured using "synchimeric" CBA recipients, which circulate trace populations of TCR transgenic alloreactive CD8(+) T cells. RESULTS: Transfusion of splenocytes, thymocytes, lymph node cells, or buffy coat cells led to prolonged skin allograft survival in recipients treated with anti-CD154 mAb. In contrast, bone marrow DST failed to delete host alloreactive CD8(+) T cells and was associated with brief skin allograft survival. Transfusions consisting of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells or a mixture of splenocytes and bone marrow cells were also ineffective. CONCLUSIONS: Donor-specific transfusions of splenocytes, thymocytes, lymph node cells, or buffy coat cells can prolong skin allograft survival in recipients treated with costimulation blockade. Bone marrow cells fail to serve this function, in part by failing to delete host alloreactive CD8(+) T cells, and they may actively interfere with the function of a spleen cell DST. The data suggest that transplantation tolerance induction protocols that incorporate bone marrow cells to serve as a DST may not be effective.     

Induction of transplantation tolerance by intraportal injection of allogeneic bone marrow cells

Intraportal inoculation of C57BL/6 marrow cells into sublethally (400 rad) irradiated BALB/c recipients resulted in durable chimerism and the permanent acceptance of C57BL/6 skin allografts. Sublethally irradiated recipients of a similar number of marrow cells inoculated systemically did not develop chimerism or any significant prolongation of the survival of C57BL/6 skin allografts. Consequently, lethal graft-versus-host disease developed only in recipients of intraportal marrow allografts (80%). The intraportal injection of allogeneic C57BL/6 marrow cells into nonirradiated recipients resulted in significant, although not permanent, prolongation of skin allograft survival without durable chimerism, suggesting that the introduction of alloantigens intraportally may favor the induction of nonresponsiveness to alloantigens even across strong major histocompatibility barriers. The relevance of these findings is discussed regarding the intraportal inoculation of allogeneic bone marrow cells for the treatment of genetic disorders in utero through the induction of neonatal tolerance.     

CD8 T cell of donor splenocyte mixed with bone marrow cells is more effective than CD4 T cell for induction of donor-specific tolerance in sublethally irradiated mice

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that even a low dose of bone marrow cells (BMCs) established donor-specific tolerance if mixed with splenocytes (SPLCs). In this study, T-cell subsets CD4 (CD4SP) and CD8 (CD8SP) of donor SPLCs were investigated for their contribution to the enhancement of BMC engraftment leading to donor-specific tolerance in sublethally irradiated mice. METHODS: Sublethally irradiated C57BL/6 recipient mice were intravenously injected BMCs mixing with CD4SP or CD8SP harvested from BALB/c donor mice. The degree of chimerism in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and in the SPLCs was analyzed using FACS, mixed lymphocyte reaction, and skin graft transplantation 3 months after injection. RESULTS: Recipients injected with 3 x 10(6) donor BMCs admixed with 10 x 10(6) donor CD8SP established chimerism. However, recipients injected with the same dose of BMCs admixed with 5 x 10(6) CD4SP, 10 x 10(6) CD4SP, and 5 x 10(6) CD8SP did not established chimerism. CD8SP contained 44% of Ly6A/E (Stem Cell Antigen-1 (Sca-1))-positive cells based on FACS analysis, whereas only 6% of CD4SP were positive for Ly6A/E. MLR supernates of donor SPLCs chimeric mice using admixture with CD8SP dominated by Th2 cytokines. In contrast, mixting with MLR supernates from failed chimera showed dominant Th1 cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: CD8SP seems to make a major contribution to enhance BMC engraftment and induce donor-specific tolerance. Ly6A/E (Sca-1)-positive cells need to be further investigated for their contribution to the establishment of chimerism.     

Targeted T-cell depletion or CD154 blockade generates mixed hemopoietic chimerism and donor-specific tolerance in mice treated with sirolimus and donor bone marrow

BACKGROUND: The administration of donor specific bone marrow (DSBM) to mice conditioned with antilymphocyte serum (ALS) and sirolimus can result in stable multilineage mixed chimerism and long-term graft survival. This study seeks to determine if either the targeted depletion of CD4 and/or CD8 pos T cells or costimulation blockade can substitute for ALS and preserve the efficacy of this regimen. METHODS: C57BL/6 recipients of BALB/c skin allografts were treated with DSBM (150 x 10(6) cells), sirolimus (24 mg/kg intraperitonealy), and either ALS or various monoclonal antibodies (alphaCD4, alphaCD8, alphaCD154 alone or in combination). Recipient peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) depletion, donor chimerism, and deletion of donor reactive T cells were assessed using flow cytometry. The specificity of immunologic nonreactivity and the presence of immunoregulatory activity were assessed through a mixed lymphocyte reaction assay. RESULTS: The administration of ALS, sirolimus, and DSBM resulted in sustained recipient PBMC depletion, transient chimerism, and prolonged graft survival. The substitution of an equivalent degree and duration of targeted depletion of either CD4 or CD8 pos T cells alone for ALS failed to produce chimerism or prolonged graft survival. In contrast, depletion of both CD4 and CD8 pos T cells resulted in durable multilineage chimerism, indefinite allograft acceptance (>350 days), and donor-specific tolerance to secondary skin grafts. Substitution of alphaCD154 monoclonal antibody for ALS also resulted in a state of mixed chimerism and donor specific tolerance. This tolerant state appears to be maintained at least partially through clonal deletion and suppression. CONCLUSION: Either combined CD4 and CD8 T-cell depletion or alphaCD154 blockade can effectively substitute for ALS in producing chimerism and tolerance in this model.     

Sertoli cells induce systemic donor-specific tolerance in xenogenic transplantation model

Cell therapy is a potentially powerful tool in the treatment of many grave disorders including leukemia, immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes. However, finding matched donors is challenging and recipients may suffer from the severe complications of systemic immune suppression. Sertoli cells, when cotransplanted with both allo- and xenograft tissues, promote graft acceptance in the absence of systemic immunosuppression. How Sertoli cells do this is not, as yet, clearly defined. We have examined the ability of Sertoli cells to produce systemic immune tolerance. For this purpose, Sertoli cells were injected into an otherwise normal C57/BL6 mouse host via the lateral tail vein. No other immunosuppressive protocols were applied. Six to 8 weeks posttransplantation, blood was collected for analysis of cytokine levels. Tolerance to donor cells was determined by mixed lymphocytic culture, and production of T-cell-dependent antibody was determined by an in vitro anti-sheep red blood cell plaque-forming assay. Results showed a marked modulation of immune cytokines in the transplanted mouse host and donor-specific transplantation tolerance was achieved. Tolerant mouse lymphocytes maintained a competent humoral antibody response. Additionally, C57/BL6 mice transplanted with rat Sertoli cells tolerated rat skin grafts significantly longer than control non-Sertoli cell transplanted mice. We conclude that systemic administration of rat Sertoli cells across xenogenic barrier induces transplantation tolerance without altering systemic immune competence. These data suggest that Sertoli cells may be used as a novel and potentially powerful tool in cell transplantation therapy.     

Targeted bone marrow radioablation with 153Samarium-lexidronam promotes allogeneic hematopoietic chimerism and donor-specific immunologic hyporesponsiveness

BACKGROUND: Transplantation tolerance, defined as acceptance of a graft by an otherwise fully immunocompetent host, has been an elusive goal. Although robust tolerance has been achieved by the induction of stable hematopoietic chimerism after bone marrow transplantation, lethal or sublethal radiation conditioning used to induce long-term chimerism precludes its clinical use. We studied whether targeted delivery of radiation to bone marrow could allow for bone marrow cell (BMC) engraftment, chimerism, and donor-specific tolerance in the absence of the side effects associated with external irradiation. METHODS: We administered a radioactive bone-seeking compound (Samarium-Lexidronam, Quadramet, Berlex Laboratories, Wayne, NJ) together with transient T-cell costimulatory blockade to recipient mice. Allogeneic BMCs were given 7 or 14 days after preconditioning. Costimulatory blockade was obtained by the use of an anti-CD154 antibody for 4 weeks. Chimerism was assessed by flow cytometry. Mice then received donor-specific and third-party skin grafts. Graft survival was analyzed with mechanisms of donor-specific hyporesponsiveness. RESULTS: High levels of stable chimerism across an allogeneic barrier were achieved in mice by a single administration of Samarium-Lexidronam, transient T-cell costimulatory blockade, and BMC transplantation. A large percentage of chimeric animals retained donor-derived skin grafts for more than 120 days without requiring additional immunosuppression, suggesting that harsh cytotoxic preconditioning is not necessary to achieve stable chimerism and donor specific hyporesponsiveness. Analysis of the T-cell repertoire in chimeras indicates T-cell deletional mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: These data broaden the potential use of BMC transplantation for tolerance induction and argue for its potential in treating autoimmune diseases.     

Chimerism induction in vascularized bone marrow transplants augmented with bone marrow cells

Composite tissue allografts (CTAs) are currently accepted in the clinic; however, long-term immunosuppression is still needed for allograft survival. The presence of donor-specific chimerism may induce tolerance. Thirty-six vascularized bone marrow transplantation (VBMT) allotransplantation were performed across MHC barrier under short-term protocol of 7-day alphabeta-TCRmAb and Cyclosporin A therapy to determine the efficacy of VBMT alone and VBMT augmented with donor bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in chimerism induction. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that VBMT supported with donor BMT directly into the bone resulted in chimerism augmentation and maintenance compared to VBMT. In vivo and in vitro tolerance testing showed prolonged survival of donor skin graft up to 35 days and moderate reactivity in MLR assay that suggests only tolerance induction. Transplantation of vascularized bone without chronic immunosuppression provides a substantial source of bone marrow cells, leading to the development of stable donor-specific chimerism.     

Experimental short-term immunosuppression after bowel transplantation and donor-specific bone marrow infusion.

HYPOTHESIS: We previously showed in a large animal pig model that unmodified donor-specific bone marrow infusion (DSBMI) did not facilitate total bowel engraftment; in contrast, it increased the risks of rejection, infection, and graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) posttransplant. We hypothesize that continuous immunosuppression, in combination with DSBMI, might contribute to-or even trigger-these unwarranted immune responses by both host and graft; therefore, discontinuing immunosuppression might decrease these risks and prolong survival. METHODS: Six groups of outbred, mixed lymphocyte culture-reactive pigs underwent a total (small and large) bowel transplant: group 1, nonimmunosuppressed control pigs (n = 5); group 2, nonimmunosuppressed DSBMI pigs (n = 6); group 3, tacrolimus (indefinite) pigs (n = 7); group 4, tacrolimus (indefinite) plus DSBMI pigs (n = 7); group 5, tacrolimus (10 days only) pigs (n = 5); and group 6, tacrolimus (10 days only) plus DSBMI pigs (n = 6). RESULTS: The combination of short-term immunosuppression and DSBMI (group 6) significantly prolonged survival, compared with short-term immunosuppression only (group 5) or DSBMI only (group 2). Short-term immunosuppression and DSBMI (group 6) did not prolong overall survival, compared with indefinite immunosuppression with (group 4) or without (group 3) DSBMI: survival rates at 7, 14, and 28 days posttransplant were 100%, 100%, and 67% in group 6; 100%, 100%, and 71% in group 3; and 100%, 67%, and 47% in group 4 (P =.14). Short-term immunosuppression and DSBMI (group 6) increased the incidence of rejection, infection, and GVHD, compared with indefinite immunosuppression without (but not with) DSBMI. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term immunosuppression and DSBMI did not prolong survival and did not reduce the incidence of death from rejection, infection, or GVHD, compared with indefinite immunosuppression without DSBMI. But short-term immunosuppression and DSBMI resulted in a lower incidence of death from infection and GVHD, compared with indefinite immunosuppression and DSBMI. When immunosuppression was discontinued 10 days posttransplant, the effect of DSBMI was insufficient to avert death from rejection. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The clinical results of bowel transplantation trail those of other solid organ transplants. It reduced the rates of infection and GVHD. Our study shows that systemically infused donor-specific bone marrow with short-term or indefinite immunosuppression does not improve outcome after bowel transplantation. It seems necessary to modify the time, dosing, routing, and/or composition of donor-specific bone marrow before it can be successfully used in clinical bowel transplantation.