Abstract

Organ transplantation has become a common practice in modern medicine. With advancements in surgical techniques and immunosuppressive therapies, the success rates of organ transplantation have significantly increased, providing patients with a new lease of life. However, transplantation is not without its challenges. The immune system of recipients recognizes transplanted organs as foreign, triggering an immune response that can lead to graft rejection. This process is mediated by various immune cells and molecules, including T cells, B cells, antibodies, cytokines, and complement proteins. To prevent graft rejection, patients receive immunosuppressive drugs that suppress their immune system, but these drugs have side effects and can increase the risk of infections and cancer. Therefore, there is a need for alternative strategies to induce transplantation tolerance, which refers to the state of immune unresponsiveness towards the transplanted organ. Transplantation tolerance can eliminate or reduce the need for immunosuppressive drugs and improve the long-term outcomes of transplantation. In this article, we will review the current understanding of transplantation tolerance and the strategies that are being developed to achieve it.