Pre‐transplant Th1 and post‐transplant Th2 cytokine patterns are associated with early acute rejection in renal transplant recipients

• DOI: 10.1034/j.1399-0012.2003.00037.x
• Publication Date: 2004-11-15T16:08:41Z
• Authors: M Sadeghi; V Daniel; R Weimer; M Wiesel; O Hergesell; G Opelz
• Keywords: Adult; Graft Rejection; Male; Time Factors; T-Lymphocytes; B-Lymphocyte Subsets; Th1 Cells; Kidney Transplantation; Neopterin; Risk Assessment; 03 medical and health sciences; Th2 Cells; 0302 clinical medicine; Case-Control Studies; Cytokines; Humans; Female; Lymphocyte Count; Retrospective Studies

Abstract: In this retrospective study, we tried to define pre‐ and post‐transplant immunological parameters that identify patients at risk for early acute rejection. Lymphocyte subpopulations and plasma levels of cytokines and neopterin were determined pre‐ and post‐transplant in 32 renal transplant recipients with biopsy‐proven early acute graft rejection. Recipients without early acute rejection served as controls. High pre‐transplant interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) plasma levels (p = 0.006), consistently high levels of neopterin early post‐transplant (p = 0.008), a post‐transplant switch from a Th1 to a Th2 cytokine pattern with decreasing IFN‐γ (p = 0.02), low CD8+ lymphocyte counts (p = 0.006) and consistently high CD19+ B lymphocyte counts were associated with acute rejection. Our data suggest that patients with a pre‐transplant Th1 and an early post‐transplant Th2 cytokine pattern are pre‐disposed for early acute rejection.