Despite the challenges in matching MHC and minor histocompatibility antigens between donor and recipient, solid organ-transplantation success rates have improved, mainly due to the use of Group of answer choices immunosuppressive drugs. sibling donors. xenografts donor chains. cadaveric organs.
he Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is immunosuppressive drugs.
Explanation:
In the field of solid organ transplantation, one of the biggest challenges is matching the donor and recipient’s immune systems. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and minor histocompatibility antigens play crucial roles in the immune system’s ability to identify foreign tissue. If the recipient’s immune system recognizes the donor organ as foreign due to mismatched antigens, it will initiate an immune response to reject the organ. This is a major hurdle in organ transplantation.
However, the success rates of solid organ transplants have greatly improved over the years, mainly due to the development and use of immunosuppressive drugs. These drugs are designed to suppress the recipient’s immune response, thus preventing the body from attacking the transplanted organ. Immunosuppressive therapy typically involves the use of drugs such as corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors (e.g., cyclosporine), and antimetabolites (e.g., mycophenolate), which are used to dampen the immune response and prevent organ rejection.
While sibling donors (who share a closer genetic match) can improve the chances of transplant success, they are not the primary reason for improved outcomes. Similarly, xenografts (transplants between species) and cadaveric organs (organs from deceased donors) are sources of transplant organs, but without effective immunosuppression, these transplants would still be at high risk of rejection. Immunosuppressive drugs allow for the acceptance of organs from various sources, including cadaveric organs, and have been the main driver of improved outcomes in organ transplantation.
In summary, the key factor that has allowed for improvements in transplant success rates is the use of immunosuppressive drugs, which prevent the immune system from rejecting the transplanted organ.
