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Updated: Apr 13, 2026
Murine Full-thickness Skin Transplantation
Published on: January 2, 2017
Antigen-specific killer polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres can prolong alloskin graft survival in a
Wei Wang1, Kun Fang, Xiaobing Wang
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Southeast University , Nanjing, Jiangsu , China .
Background:
The strategy of specifically depleting antigen-specific T cells can potentially be used for the treatment of allograft rejection and autoimmunity because it does not suppress the overall immune systems.
Methods:
In this study, we generated killer polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres by covalently coupling major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens and apoptosis-inducing anti-Fas monoclonal antibody (mAb) onto PLGA microspheres. A modified double-emulsion method was used for the preparation of cell-sized PLGA microspheres. H-2K(b)/peptide monomers were generated in-house and analyzed through flow cytometry. The killer PLGA microspheres were administered intravenously into BALB/c mice (H-2K(d)) that had previously been grafted with skin squares from C57BL/6 mice (H-2K(b)). Tumor cell challenge and third-party mixed lymphocyte culture were used to assess the general immune functions of host.
Results:
The alloskin graft survival was prolonged by 4 days. The killer PLGA microspheres could specifically deplete the H-2K(b) alloantigen-reactive CD8(+) T cells that infiltrated into the alloskin graft but not CD4(+) T cells, without impairment of host overall immune function.
Conclusions:
Here, we initially report that PLGA microspheres, which have been widely used as medicine-delivering carriers, were used to prepare antigen-specific killer complexes and treat allograft rejection. Our data highlight the therapeutic potential of this biocompatible and biodegradable antigen-specific killer effector for the treatment of allograft rejection and autoimmune disease.
