Hamster-to-rat liver xenografts protect extrahepatic organs from rejection.

THE liver allograft is relatively resistant to the hyperacute rejection caused by preformed antibodies, I and in some species and strain combinations it is accepted without immunosuppression. 2•3 We have shown a similar resistance of the liver to humoral rejection after hamster to rat xenotransplantation. 4•5 Moreover. it has been shown that the liver allograft can induce tolerance to other organs from the same donor strain2 and that it also can shield these organs from hyperacute rejection in a presensitized recipient. 6 Thus. in this study we tested if hamster livers previously transplanted under FK 506 would ameliorate the otherwise intractable rejection of hamster heart and skin xenografts in rats.