Immunosuppression of Corneal Graft Reaction by Azathioprine

ABSTRACT

1) The effectiveness of azathioprine (Imuran) in suppressing the immunogenic rejection of corneal grafts was studied by pathology. 2) The method of conjunctival implantation was used to produce neovascularization of the host cornea and the rejection of interlamellar allgraft and xenograft (rooster to rabbit) provided the experimental model against which the therapeutic efficacy of the drug was evaluated. There is almost same pathological finding between interlamellar homograft and heterograft. but the rejection phenomena of the heterograft group is slightly severer than homograft group. 3) On comparing the graft rejection between control and treated group in homograft and heterograft, the reaction in control group is severer than treated group. Microscopically, tbe cornea of treated group is almost transparent, but there are fibrosis of graft border, thickening of the host tissues and irregular arragement of corneal lamellae, by microscopically 4) On comparing between sensitized and non-sensitized group, no specific difference was observed by microspically.