Cold ischemia time: an independent predictor of increased HLA class I antibody production after rejection of a primary cadaveric renal allograft.
BACKGROUND
Cadaveric kidneys experiencing longer cold ischemia time (CIT) are associated with higher levels of delayed graft function, acute rejection, and early graft loss. One mechanism to explain these results is that ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury makes the allograft more immunogenic by upregulating molecules involved in the immune response (e.g., HLA Class I/II).


METHODS
We evaluated the influence of CIT on the production of HLA Class I antibody level, measured by an antihuman globulin panel reactive antibody (AHG PRA) level, in 90 unsensitized recipients of primary cadaveric renal transplants (from a total of 1442 between 1985 and 1997) who rejected their kidneys.


RESULTS
By multivariate analysis, a CIT of 15 hr or more (vs. < 15 hr) independently increased the risk of the AHG Class I PRA level being > or = 20% after unsensitized patients rejected their first kidneys (relative risk=3.57; 95% confidence interval=1.26 to 10.14; P=0.01), despite the same degree of Class I/II mismatch between the two CIT groups. The overall mean peak PRA level after primary kidney rejection was significantly lower for the CIT < 15 hr group (25.9%+/-33.9; n=24) compared with the CIT > or = 15 hr group (46.3%+/-36.5; n=66) (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Longer CIT induces a humorally more immunogenic kidney.
Bryan
C F
CF
Midwest Transplant Network, Inc., Westwood, Kansas 66205, USA.
Luger
A M
AM
Martinez
J
J
Muruve
N
N
Nelson
P W
PW
Pierce
G E
GE
Ross
G
G
Shield
C F
CF
Warady
B A
BA
Aeder
M I
MI
Helling
T S
TS
D000328:Adult; D000917:Antibody Formation; D002102:Cadaver; D003298:Coombs Test; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000276:immunology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008102:Liver Circulation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology
D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I