Pig islet xenograft rejection in a mouse model with an established human immune system

Abstract:  Background:  Xenotransplantation from pigs provides a potential solution to the severe shortage of human pancreata, but strong immunological rejection prevents its clinical application. A better understanding of the human immune response to pig islets would help develop effective strategies for preventing graft rejection.

Methods:  We assessed pig islet rejection by human immune cells in humanized mice with a functional human immune system. Humanized mice were prepared by transplantation of human fetal thymus/liver tissues and CD34⁺ fetal liver cells into immunodeficient mice. Islet xenograft survival/rejection was determined by histological analysis of the grafts and measurement of porcine C-peptide in the sera of the recipients.

Results:  In untreated humanized mice, adult pig islets were completely rejected by 4 weeks. These mice showed no detectable porcine C-peptide in the sera, and severe intra-graft infiltration by human T cells, macrophages, and B cells, as well as deposition of human antibodies. Pig islet rejection was prevented by human T-cell depletion prior to islet xenotransplantation. Islet xenografts harvested from T-cell-depleted humanized mice were functional, and showed no human cell infiltration or antibody deposition.

Conclusions:  Pig islet rejection in humanized mice is largely T-cell-dependent, which is consistent with previous observations in non-human primates. These humanized mice provide a useful model for the study of human xenoimmune responses in vivo.