Primary observation of prolonged survival of cultured epidermal allografts]

It is still controversial that cultured epidermal allografts can survive long. In this study, seventy-nine pieces of cultured epidermal sheets were grafted on the wounds after taking for autografts. The wounds grafted with allogeneic cultured epidermis healed with mean time of 7.2 +/- 1.4 days, while the wounds uncovered with cultured epidermis healed with the mean time of 12.8 +/- 2.5 days (P less than 0.005). No evident signs of allogeneic rejection were found either by clinical or histological observation from 20 days to one year's follow-up. In order to prove the existence of cultured epidermal allografts on grafted area, two methods were established: 1) indirect enzyme conjugated SPA assay to detect A or B blood group antigens with McAb; 2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify Y chromosome specific DNA sequence after the female were grafted with cultured male epidermis. In four patients grafted with ABO blood group mismatched cultured epidermis, the donor antigens were found in the grafted area as long as 35 post graft day (PGD). The recipient antigens appeared on 19 PGD. Y chromosome specific DNA was detected in five samples taken from two female patients grafted with cultured male epidermis. Of these five samples, the biopsy time was on 11, 19, 30, 35, 92 PGD respectively. Combining the clinical and histological observation with the results of two methods, it can be concluded that the survival time of cultured epidermal allografts were definitely prolonged.