Prevention of genetic resistance to bone marrow allografts by reticuloendothelial system blockade

Agents which are toxic to macrophages such as silica and caragheenan suppress genetic resistance to bone marrow allografts. However, these agents may also be toxic to other tissues and cannot be used for the establishment of long-term bone marrow chimerism. In this study, we used chemically insert carbon particles to blockade phagocytic cells, and succeeded in carrying out bone marrow allografts. Long-term survival of the recipient mice after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was achieved without apparent evidence of graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR), although T-cells were not depleted in donor marrow cells. The hemopoietic system of the recipient mice was replaced by that of donor origin. These results indicate that phagocytic cells play an essential role, probably as effector cells in genetic resistance to bone marrow allograft.