The Annals of thoracic surgery
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Previously it was found that ischemia-reperfusion injury in a left lung autotransplantation model could be a minor inducer of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen expression. Thus, we hypothesized that prolonged ischemic times may result in increased expression of MHC class II antigens and predispose the lungs to the development of acute rejection early after transplantation. ⋯ Ischemic injury may predispose the lung allograft to the development of acute rejection, in part, through the upregulation of MHC class II antigen expression and the local release of cytokines.