HEMATOLOGICAL, HEMORHEOLOGICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL, AND MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF SPLEEN AUTOTRANSPLANTATION IN MICE: PRELIMINARY RESULTS IREN MIKO, M.D., Ph.D., C.Sc., 1 * ENDRE BRATH, M.D., 1,2 NORBERT NEMETH, M.D., 1 FERENC F. TOTH, M.D., 3 SANDOR SIPKA, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., 4 JUDIT KOVACS, M.D., Ph.D., 5 SANDOR SIPKA, Jr., 1 JOZSEF FACHET, M.D., Ph.D., 3 ANDREA FURKA, M.D., 2 ISTVAN FURKA, M.D., D.Sc., Ph.D., 1 AND ROBERT ZHONG, M.D., Ph.D. 6 Using a spleen autotransplantation model, we conducted hematological, hemorheological, immunological, and morpho- logical studies in mice 6 weeks after splenectomy. Sixty male and female A/J inbred mice were equally divided into 3 groups: 1) SE group, splenectomy was performed; 2) AU group, spleen chips were autotransplanted into the omentum without vascular anastomosis following splenectomy; and 3) C group (controls), no intervention in these mice. At postoperative week 6, the fol- lowing studies were performed: 1) measurement of hematolo- gical parameters; 2) hemorheological studies, including relative cell transit time (RCTT) and fibrinogen levels; and 3) activity of peripheral phagocytes, measured by zymozan-induced chemi- luminescence, which was calculated in stimulation index values (SI). In addition, histological investigations of autotransplants were conducted. Erythrocyte mean cell volume and platelet counts, RCTT, fibrinogen levels, and activity of phagocytes were significantly higher in the SE group, compared to those in the C group. In the AU group, these parameters were similar to those in the C group. Morphologically, the transplanted spleen showed normal histology. These data indicate that the transplanted spleens restored their function. We conclude that spleen auto- transplantation reserves the normal morphology of spleen and restores most of the spleen’s hematological, hemorheological, and immunological functions. Both SI index and erythrocyte deformability can be an informative detection of decreasing splenic function. These data suggest that spleen autotrans- plantation may provide a useful tool to prevent complications following splenectomy in a clinical setting. Le ´ p autotransplantatios ege ´ r modellen a 6. posztoperatı ´v he ´ten haematologiai, haemorheologiai, immunologiai e ´ s morphologiai vizsga ´ latokat ve ´ geztu ¨ nk splenectomia ´t ko ¨ veto "en. Hatvan A/J inbred egeret 3 egyenlo " csoportba osztottunk: 1) SE csoport: splenectomia, 2) AU csoport: splenectomia ´t ko ¨ veto "en le ´ p-chip autotransplantatio a cseplesz ketto "zete ´be e ´ ranastomosis ne ´lku ¨l, 3) C csoport—control: sebe ´ szi beavatkoza ´s nem to ¨rte ´nt. A 6. posztoperatı ´v he ´ten 1) haematologiai parame ´terek meg- hata ´ roza ´ sa, 2) a haemorheologiai vizsga ´ latke ´nt a vo ¨ro ¨sve ´ rsejt deformabilita ´s me ´re ´ se (relatı ´v sejttranzit-ido ", RCTT), a fibrino- ge ´ n szint meghata ´ roza ´sa to ¨rte ´ nt, 3) immunologiai me ´ro ¨mo ´ dsz- erke ´nt a perife ´ria ´s phagocyta ´k aktivita ´sa ´t zymosan fu ¨ggo " chemiluminescentia ´val me ´rtu ¨k, a stimula ´cio ´s index (SI) sza ´mı ´ta ´sa ´val. Pa ´ rhuzamosan az autotransplanta ´lt le ´ p-chipek szo ¨vettani e ´ rte ´ kele ´se ´t is elve ´ geztu ¨ k. Az erythrocyta ´k a ´ tlagos te ´rfogata e ´ s a thrombocyta ´k sza ´ma, az RCTT e ´ s a fibrinoge ´n szint, valamint a phagocyta ´ k aktivita ´ sa szignifika ´ nsan nagyobb volt az SE, mint a C csoportban. Ezek a parame ´terek az AU csoportban hasonlo ´ak voltak a C csoport e ´ rte ´ keihez. Az auto- transplanta ´lt le ´ pek norma ´ lis histologia ´ju ´ ke ´ pet mutattak. Ered- me ´ nyeink azt sugallja ´ k, hogy a transplantalt le ´ p-chipek funkcio ´ja helyrea ´llt. Kı ´se ´ rleteink alapja ´n u ´gy to "nik, hogy a le ´ p autotrans- plantatio mego "rzi a le ´ pszo ¨vet norma ´ l morphologia ´ja ´t, nagyre ´szt helyrea ´llı ´tja a haematologiai, haemorheologiai e ´ s immunologiai funkcio ´kat. A le ´ pfunkcio ´ cso ¨ kkene ´se ´nek e ´ rze ´ keny jelzo "je lehet az SI e ´s a vo ¨ro ¨sve ´ rsejt deformabilita ´s e ´ rte ´keinek va ´ ltoza ´ sa. Adataink szerint a le ´ pautotransplantatio hate ´ kony eszko ¨ z lehet a splenctomia ´kat ko ¨ veto " komplika ´ cio ´ k megelo "ze ´se ´ben a klinikai gyakorlatban is. ª 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 23:483–488 2003 1 Department of Operative Techniques and Surgical Research, Medical and Health Science Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary 2 Second Department of Surgery, Medical and Health Science Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary 3 Department of Immunology, Medical and Health Science Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary 4 Third Department of Internal Medicine, Medical and Health Science Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary 5 Department of Pathology, Medical and Health Science Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary 6 Department of Surgery, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and Multi-Organ Transplant Program, London Health Sciences Center, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Grant sponsor: Hungarian Scientific Research Fund; Grant number: OTKA T 034211/2001; Hungarian Ministry of Health Medical Research Council; Grant number: ETT 6003/1/2001. *Correspondence to: Iren Miko, M.D., C.Sc., Ph.D., Department of Operative Techniques and Surgical Research, Medical and Health Science Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, P.O. Box 21, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary. E-mail: imiko@jaguar.dote.hu; ilcsi@hotmail.com Received 30 May 2003; Accepted 1 July 2003 Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI:10.1002/micr.10166 ª 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.