Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2026
A Rat Graft Rejection Model of Intestinal Transplantation with Exteriorized Ileostomy for Longitudinal Prognosis Assessment
Published on: June 10, 2025
Semiquantative analysis of expression of mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 during small bowel graft
S Fujisaki1, R Tomita, Y J Park
1First Department of Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. sfujisaki@blue.ocn.ne.jp
Aim:
Mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) mediates the homing of lymphocytes to gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). We performed a semiquantative analysis of MAdCAM-1 expression during small bowel graft rejection.
Methods:
Orthotopic small bowel transplantations (SBT) were performed from BN rats to LEW rats. Isografted animals served as controls. Animals were sacrificed on days 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 after SBT. Cryostat sections were prepared from grafts, including Peyer's patches (PPs). Indirect immunoperoxidase staining was performed using mAbs against MAdCAM-1. The degree of vascular endothelial staining on high endothelial venules (HEV) in the PPs was graded from 1 (low levels) to 5 (high levels), and in the vessels of the lamina propria from 1 (faint), 2 (low at the base of villi), 3 (low to the middle of villi), 4 (high to the middle of villi), to 5 (high to villus tip).
Results:
MAdCAM-1 expression on HEVs in PPs was down-regulated during rejection. In contrast its expression on endothelial cells of vessels in the lamina propria was up-regulated during rejection.
Conclusion:
Alteration in MAdCAM-1 expression may be associated with the development of SB graft rejection. The vessels at the base of villi, which are associated with lymphocyte recruitment, may become sites of intense immune reactivity during the early phase of small bowel allograft rejection.
