Downregulation of both interleukin-12 and interleukin-2 in heart allografts by pretransplant host treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and tacrolimus.

Abstract Since recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) has been reported to induce immune deviation, we examined the effects of pretransplant treatment of recipients with rhG-CSF on heart allograft survival. Before heterotopic heart transplantation from DA to Lewis rats, recipients were given rhG-CSF (125 μg/kg s.c. twice a day from day −5 to 0) and/or tacrolimus (2 mg/kg i.m. on day 0). Combined treatment with both rhG-CSF and tacrolimus prolonged graft survival significantly ( P