Infl uence of cyclosporine A on mucociliary system after lung transplantation in rats1 Infl uência da ciclosporina A sobre o sistema mucociliar após-transplante pulmonar em ratos

Purpose: To investigate the function of the bronchial mucociliary system in transplanted rat lungs with and without the infl uence of immunosuppression. Methods: Thirty-six rats underwent single-lung transplantation and were divided into two groups, one of which received cyclosporine treatment, and the control group which did not. Cyclosporine was administered subcutaneously in doses of 10 mg/kg daily. The rats were sacrifi ced 2, 15 or 30 days after transplantation. In situ bronchial mucociliary transport (MCT) and ciliary beat frequency (CBF) were determined proximal and distal to the bronchial anastomosis. Results: Signifi cant progressive improvement on MCT, proximal and distal to the anastomotic site, was also found in the cyclosporine-treated group at 15 and 30 days (p<0.01). No signifi cant change in MCT was found in the control group. CBF behavior in the two groups. Histological analysis showed that rejection was signifi cantly higher in the control group (p<0.05).Conclusion: Cyclosporine has a positive infl uence on bronchial mucociliary transport but not on CBF due to the effect of the rejection mechanism.