An analysis of monocyte/macrophage subsets and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor expression in renal allograft biopsies.
The role of infiltrating macrophages in the pathogenesis of acute rejection was investigated in biopsy specimens obtained from human transplanted kidneys using immunohistochemical methods. Thirty-one allograft tissue specimens obtained from 26 patients were histologically classified into 18 with acute rejection, 7 with borderline change and 6 with chronic rejection according to the Banff working classification (1993). These specimens were analyzed by avidin-biotin peroxidase complex method on frozen sections in order to examine the utility of some antimonocyte/macrophage monoclonal antibodies in differentiating acute rejection from other conditions. The ratio of CD68, CD11b, LeuM3, OKM5 and HAM56-positive infiltrating monocytes/macrophages to leukocyte common antigen (LCA)-positive cells in the renal cortex were calculated. As a result, the ratio of the positive cells for CD68, which stains mature macrophages, significantly increased in the cases of acute rejection compared with those of other groups. In addition, a strong expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was observed in the acute rejection group. In our study, the expression of class II major histocompatibility antigens (HLA-DR) in the proximal epithelial tubules was also strongly observed in the cases of acute rejection. It was thus concluded that the increase of CD68-positive infiltrating cells and the expression of GM-CSF may play a possible role as a reaction effector in the process of acute renal allograft rejection.
Kajiwara
I
I
Second Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Kawamura
K
K
Takebayashi
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000503:physiopathology; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000502:physiology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor