title: Monocyte activation for enhanced tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin 6 production during chronic renal allograft rejection.
abstract: To evaluate the contribution of immune mechanisms in the initiation and progression of chronic renal allograft rejection we investigated monocyte-derived cytokine synthesis in vitro in 16 patients with histologically proven chronic rejection; 22 transplant patients with stable function served as controls. Basal tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production, measured by L 929 bioassay, was low and not significantly different in both groups. By triggering TNF-alpha formation in vitro by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), high concentrations of TNF-alpha (155.1 +/- 243.0 ng/ml) were measured in monocyte cultures from chronic rejection patients which greatly exceeded the TNF-alpha levels of 11.5 +/- 14.5 ng/ml in the control group. Measurement of interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels by enzyme immunoassay gave similar results, with significantly higher IL-6 concentrations in LPS-triggered monocyte cultures from chronic rejection compared with stable function patients. Additional stimulation of LPS-treated monocytes with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) as a priming agent enhanced TNF-alpha formation in stable function patients and, in contrast, slightly reduced monokine formation in chronic rejection patients, which suggests that in this group a high activation level of monocytes has already been reached in vivo by T cell factors such as IFN-gamma. Treatment of monocyte cultures in vitro with prednisolone reduced TNF-alpha formation differently in most but not all cultures from chronic rejection and stable function patients; thus this in vitro test system might be helpful in predicting the benefit of an intensified immunosuppressive regimen for chronic rejection patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heidenreich
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tepel
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Rahn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D007739:L Cells; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D016260:Monocytes, Activated Killer / Q000378:metabolism*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D011239:Prednisolone; D003404:Creatinine