Xenotransplants: The Risks and Benefits

Authors

Sima Langner

Abstract

This literature review discusses how xenotransplants from animals, especially pigs, can serve as viable alternatives to allotransplants. There are many ways of ensuring the health of the host, including testing the donor pig for cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr virus, simian agent 8, and other viruses linked to transmitted infections. The Galα-1,3-Gal epitope and N-glycolylneuraminic acid are both recognized by human antibodies and induce rejection. To remedy this, double knockout pigs have been developed that lack both. The human complement system serves as another potential pitfall for xenotransplants that can be neutralized by introducing human complement regulatory proteins into transgenic animals pre-transplant. Another potential risk of pig xenotransplants are porcine endogenous retroviruses. These retroviruses can potentially adapt to infect human tissue and further infect those that come in contact with the host. Extensive research has been done on porcine endogenous retroviruses to determine the extent of this possibility. In separate studies, xenografts have displayed great medical advantages for patients diagnosed with type I diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

Recommended Citation

Sima Langner. (2022). Xenotransplants: The Risks and Benefits. The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, 16(1), 5-12. Retrieved from https://touroscholar.touro.edu/sjlcas/vol16/iss1/2