Running head: RESEARCH ON EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX
Further research on Extracellular matrix’s side effects and solutions by literature review
Junchen Liu
ENGL 106i
Purdue University
Author Note
Junchen Liu, Department of Engineering, Purdue University.
Junchen Liu is now at Department of Engineering, Purdue University.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Junchen Liu,
Department of Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906.
Contact:liu1320@purdue.edu
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Abstract
This thesis is a synthesis paper targeting at the transplant rejection caused by the extracellular
matrix and the possible treatment for the rejection. Coito and Kupiec-Weglinski found out the
relationship between the extracellular matrix and the transplantation rejection while Dr. Kirk
and his team found out an effective suppressor for the acute transplant rejection and the Dr.
Libby and Dr. Pober stated that the chronicle transplant rejection, which is transformed from
the acute transplant rejection, have no antidote. This paper shows to what extent the side
effect of the extracellular matrix, the transplant rejection can be cured. In all, the in the acute
rejection phase, the symptom is still curable, but once the acute rejection transformed to the
chronicle rejection phase, the side effect can’t be cured.
Keyword: Extracellular matrix, the acute transplant rejection, the chronicle transplant
rejection
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Further research on Extracellular matrix’s side effects and solutions
People get wounded all the time, so in order to minimize the loss caused by the wound, I
started doing research on extracellular matrix. I am trying to explore the side effects of the
extracellular matrix because even the social media started to claim its great potential
(Andrews, 2008). But I recon it as an unknown matter and I am trying to find out why experts
are so confident about extracellular matrix. To get some basic insights, I’ve been interviewing
with Yumin Gao. He indicated me with three side effects that could occur by this technology:
malnutrition, muscle loss and the transplant rejection. Yumin Gao gave me the solutions to
the first to side effects and he said those two problems, with proper treatment will be cured
and he didn’t consider there two as serious problems. However, he didn’t have any idea on
the last side effect and he proposed me to do more research (Gao, Y. personal communication,
March 1st, 2015). First, I researched the mechanism and the reason of the transplant rejection
caused by extracellular matrix. Then in the other two paragraphs, I researched the solutions
for two different kind of the transplant rejection.
Dr. Coito and Dr. Kupiec-Weglinski from Harvard University studied the components of
extracellular matrix by using different combination of the components and implemented them
on rats with the transplanted organs. They added the fibronectin and the laminin, both of them
are one of the components is extracellular matrix. They observe the acute rejection, which is
the rejection that will be developed as early as one week after the transplantation. They also
found out the newly synthesized fibronectin, but not the laminin, from the transplantation will
increase the likelihood of the acute and late rejection. Dr. Coito (2000) finally concluded that
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the fibronectin, a protein in the extracellular matrix “are active participants in the immune
cascade leading to graft rejection.” (p.2467), which means it may lead to the rejection of the
transplantation.
Dr. Coito have found out that patient will take the risk to have transplant rejection partly
because of extracellular matrix (Coito, 2000). The reason why social media still claim
extracellular matrix can be used to grow organs for transplanting (Andrews, 2008) is because
Dr. Kirk have found a possible solution to deal with the acute rejection (Kirk et al., 1999)
Dr. Kirk and his team experimented with CD154, a specific protein that will activate the
immune system and claimed (1999) that the CD154 is “a promising agent for clinical use in
human allotransplantation” (p.686), a transplantation from the same species. Firstly they
deducted that the CD40 is an essential component in our body to mediate the immune and
inflammatory system, and CD154, the suggested antidote, works as a pair to suppress the
CD40 to activate unnecessary immune reaction. When there are significant amount of the
foreign matter attack the body, CD40 will be concentrated and overwhelm the effect of
CD154, which will cause the immune system to reject the foreign matters, so the researchers
will inject CD154 to suppress the excessive amount of the CD40 to soothe the rejection
system. They used monkey to do the renal (kidney) transplantation and inject with CD154.
The acute rejection was suppressed after the injection. They then observed the monkey and
concluded that the CD154 can suppress the acute rejection for a time as long as 10 months.
And more surprisingly, they found out that there is no additional need to do more treatment to
prevent the graft loss, as known as the transplanted organ lost. Also, research has found out
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that the existence of CD154 after the treatment is not required by using antibody to eliminate
the CD154. The advantages of this treatment is that it doesn’t need to suppress the immune
system all around the body. So this is an effective antidote to confront the acute rejection
(Kirk et al., 1999).
Even though Dr. Kirk and his team have CD154 at stake to soothe the acute rejection
(Kirk et al., 1999). , the specialists in the medical area are not very optimistic to find out the
suppressor that could totally prevent the acute rejection from changing to chronicle effects.
Even worse, till now the chronicle rejection is irreversible, according to Dr. Libby (Libby &
Pober, 2001).
Dr. Libby and Dr. Pober stated that the chronicle rejection will result in the loss of the
transplanted organs, so that eventually the patients will lose the organs which are consumed
by the immune system. The cause of the chronicle rejection can be resulted from the failure to
suppress the acute rejection. The researchers stated that the 5% of the acute rejection will fail
and develop into chronicle rejection. The researchers suggested that the patient take the
therapy for the acute rejection continuously even though the affect would be petite. They also
pointed out that the suppressor of the acute rejection may be the cause of the chronicle
rejection because it may target at wrong mechanism. Till now, there is no possible antidote to
defeat the chronicle rejection (Libby & Pober, 2001).
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Conclusion
In this paper, we explore the existence and the mechanism of the extracellular matrix.
With this knowledge, we then examines two paper regarding the antidote for this side effect.
We know that in an early stage, the symptom can be controlled with a failure of 5%, but after
developing in to the late stage, the side effect could be vital. Even though the technology is so
advanced these days, there are still copious phenomenon that people can’t solved or explain.
But in the future, once people know how to control the side effect of the extracellular matrix
thoroughly, we can enjoy a life without any missing of the body part.
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References
Andrews, W. (2008, February 7). A "Holy Grail" Of Healing. , from
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-holy-grail-of-healing/
Coito, A. J., & Kupiec-Weglinski, J. W. (2000). EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX PROTEINS
IN ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION1. Transplantation, 69(12), 2465-2473.
Kirk, A. D., Burkly, L. C., Batty, D. S., Baumgartner, R. E., Berning, J. D., Buchanan, K., ... &
Harlan, D. M. (1999). Treatment with humanized monoclonal antibody against CD154
prevents acute renal allograft rejection in nonhuman primates. Nature medicine, 5(6),
686-693.
Libby, P., & Pober, J. S. (2001). Chronic rejection. Immunity, 14(4), 387-397.