Objective: To investigate whether the heart transplantation between closed colony SD rats can establish a cardiac chronic graft failure model

and whether the ischemia reperfusion injury can accelerate this process.Method: 60 female closed colony of SD rats were divided into two group at random

control group and ischemia group.In control group

donor hearts were implanted into recipients immediately

however

in ischemia group

donor hearts were stored for 3 hrs at 4℃ in isotonic saline to induce an ischemic injury before transplantation.In control group

grafts were excised at 4

12

and 24 weeks after transplantation

while in ischemia group

grafts were excised at 4

8

and 12 weeks after transplantation.Graft vasculopathy and interstitial fibrosis were graded for degree of intimal thickening and myocardiac interstitial fibrosis using HE and Masson staining.Results: By the 4th week after transplantation

the graft vasculopathy in two groups showed no significant difference(1.6±0.48 vs 1.2±0.32

P>0.05)

however

by the 12th week

there was a significant difference(3.6±0.48 vs 2.4±0.48

P<0.05)in the graft vasculopathy in two groups.By the 24th week

grafts in control group showed the characteristic of chronic graft failure

including graft vasculopathy

interstitial fibrosis

and inflammatory cells infilatration

however

grafts in ischemia group displayed similar leisons by the 12th week.There was no significant difference(3.6±0.48 vs 4.0±0.40

P>0.05)in the graft vasculopathy between two groups.Conclusion: It is practicable to establish a cardiac chronic graft failure model between closed colony SD rats

and ischemia reperfusion injury

as an alloantigen independent factor

would accelerate the development of rat cardiac chronic graft vascular disease

which can save the time for establishing models.