The enhancing effect of cyclosporine A and sulfasalazine on the prevention of rejection in rat cardiac allografts

Abstract. Sulfasalazine (SASP) has been used for many years as a disease-modifying agent in inflammatory bowel disease and in rheumatoid arthritis. However, its mode of action is not entirely clear. Evidence has been accumulated which indicates that its efficacy is due to an immunomodulatory effect. In the present communication, we report that SASP has an immunomodulatory capacity in an experimental rat cardiac allograft model. A combination of 100 mg/kg per day of SASP given orally until rejection and 10 mg/kg per day of cyclosporine A (CyA) given orally for 10 days resulted in a significantly increased graft survival time as compared to that in animals given CyA alone.