Complement Biology Group. Department of Medical Biochemistry.
Tenovus Building, 3rd floor. UWCM. Heath Park. Cardiff, CF4 4XN, UK
Abstract
A shortage of donor organs is the major obstacle in clinical transplantation. Successful xenotransplantation using pigs as a source of organs and tissues may quickly become a biomedical reality. Xenotransplantation is a new and rapidly expanding field which may save thousand of human lives each year. Clinical application of xenotransplantation is limited by a severe immunological reaction of the recipient against the graft, known as hyperacute rejection. This destruction of the grafted organ occurs within minutes of implantation and is mediated by natural antibodies and complement. One of the strategies being tested to reduce complement activation is the breeding of pigs expressing human complement regulators, in the expectation that organs from these pigs will be better protected from hyperacute rejection. However, the potential roles of the endogenous pig complement inhibitors have received little attention. This paper reviews the current knowledge of the endogenous pig complement inhibitors and their relevance in the context of current efforts to express human complement regulators in the pig.