To observation of the effect of paclitaxol in rat orthotopic liver transplantation and its impact on the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL).

Wistar → SD rat liver transplantation model of acute rejection was established. The rats were divided into three groups: control group (blocking total hepatic blood flow), acute rejection group (Wistar → SD liver transplantation), paclitaxel group (Wistar → SD liver transplantation, paclitaxel intraperitoneal injection of 0.75 mg·kg^-1·d^-1. The survival time, pathological changes, biochemical markers and CTL, T lymphocyte apoptosis were observed.

The postoperative survival time of paclitaxel group were rats higher than acute rejection group, (18.2±1.5)d vs(8.8± 1.9) d, P<0.01. HE score (Banff) of acute rejection group is higher than the paclitaxel group, 7.80±0.83 vs 4.80±0.82, t=5.67, P<0.01. Albumin level in paclitaxel group ranked higher than acute rejection group, P=0.003, while alanine aminotransferase of paclitaxel group were lower than acute rejection group, P<0.01. In CTL, the percentage of anti-target cell in acute rejection group were higher than the percentage of paclitaxel group, P<0.01. Tlymphocyte apoptosis rate of acute rejection group isless than the paclitaxel group, (7.16±1.56)% vs(16.47±2.51)%, P<0.01.

Paclitaxel exerts immunosuppression in rat liver transplantation, by inducing T lymphocyte apoptosis to suppress T lymphocyte activation probably.