Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Reduced Complications after Arterial Reconnection in a Rat Model of Orthotopic Liver Transplantation
Published on: November 7, 2020
Telomerase activity in rat liver allografts
1Liver Transplantation Program, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Background:
Telomerase activity in grafts may be involved in the alteration of cellular senescence after transplantation or its relevant immunological events.
Methods:
At the age of 20 weeks, donor livers harvested from DA (RT1a) were orthotopically transplanted into PVG (RT1c) or LEW (RT1(1)) rats. Rats having undergone orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT; DA-PVG) naturally overcome rejection, whereas all OLT (DA-LEW) rats die from acute rejection within 14 days. Telomerase activity in liver allografts was measured at various intervals post OLT.
Results:
At day 7 when the most severe rejection episode was observed in OLT (DA-LEW) and OLT (DA-PVG), the telomerase activity was significantly higher than in syngeneic OLT (DA-DA) rats, in which no rejection occurred. Telomerase activity in tolerogenic OLT (DA-PVG) livers remained elevated for at least 2 months.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that telomerase activity in allogeneic OLT livers may reflect regenerating hepatocytes or activation of lymphocytes and/or hematopoietic stem cells associated with rejection or tolerance.
