Extracellular histones and xenotransplantation

Area of Science:

• Transplantation immunology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Xenotransplantation offers a potential solution for end-stage organ failure but faces significant challenges.
• Key issues include inflammatory responses, coagulation disorders, ischemia-reperfusion injury, complement activation, and endothelial cell damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of extracellular histones in xenotransplantation.
• To summarize the connection between extracellular histones and major xenotransplantation problems.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on extracellular histones and xenotransplantation.
• Summarization of previous findings on histone levels post-transplantation and infection.
• Discussion of tocilizumab's effect on serum histones and C-reactive protein.

Main Results:

• Extracellular histones act as danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), exacerbating inflammation and coagulation issues.
• Serum histone levels increase after pig-to-baboon organ transplantation and infection.
• Tocilizumab treatment reduces serum histone and C-reactive protein levels.

Conclusions:

• Extracellular histones are implicated in critical xenotransplantation complications.
• Further research into targeting histones could mitigate adverse events and improve xenograft survival.