Fetal liver cell transplantation fails to transfer hypertension from genetically hypertensive rats to normotensive rats of the Lyon strain

Abstract

The involvement of an auto-immune mechanism has been suggested in the development and/or the maintenance of hypertension in male, genetically hypertensive rats of the Lyon strain (LH). The aim of this study was to determine whether hypertension may be transferred, by lymphoid cells, from hypertensive donors to male, normotensive rats of the Lyon strain (LN). Experiments designed to induce a resistance to hypertension in LH rats by transfer of lymphoid cells from LN animals were also performed. Since LH and LN are mismatched at the major histocompatibility complex, transfers of fetal liver cells (FLC) from fetuses of 13-14 days gestation were performed. These experiments demonstrate the ability of FLC to allow a prolonged survival (over 17 weeks) without graft versus host disease in the rat. As regards the blood pressure level, no LN recipient having received FLC from LH donor became hypertensive, thus showing that hypertension cannot be transferred by lymphoid cells in normotensive animals. Resistance to hypertension was so weakly transferred to hypertensive rats (results being significantly different only at 10 weeks post-grafting) that it may be considered doubtful.