Organtransplantation: Why allografts from older donors are often rejected

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June 17, 2025

"Many transplant clinicians have experienced that allografts from elderly donors (predominantly deceased donors rather than living donors) elicit a stronger immune response in the early period after organtransplantation associated with reduced allograft function. These observations may not only be due to the increased oxidizing conditions of old donor age, but also may be influenced by a decline of the antioxidative defense system during aging," Prof. Dr. Walter Land reports in his textbook ´Innate Alloimmunity, Part 2: Innate Immunity and Allograft Rejection´.

Innate Alloimmunity. Part 2: Innate Immunity and Allograft Rejection

"There is growing evidence suggesting that during aging, enzymes of the first defense line such as AOD, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase are intracellularly depleted. The same appears to be true for vitamins C and E. Of considerable interest in this context is a report showing that older recipients of renal allografts demonstrate a lower antioxidative capacity as indicated, besides other things, by lower values of the vitamin E analogue, Trolox. The authors suggest that this scenario may be associated with a poorer outcome for kidney transplants in older patients."

Innate Alloimmunity. Part 2: Innate Immunity and Allograft Rejection
Land, Walter G
Pabst,760 pages

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