The synthesis by fine-needle aspiration biopsy cultures of IL-7, IL-16 and IL-18 is significantly associated with acute rejection in kidney transplants.
BACKGROUND
T-cell activation, the key event in the development of acute allograft rejection, depends on co-stimulatory signals delivered by antigen-presenting cells (APC). APC-derived cytokines may provide co-stimulation and modulate alloimmune reaction. We have studied cytokine synthesis by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) culture and we found significant differences for interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-10, M-CSF and IL-1ra on comparing acute rejection versus stable kidney transplant patients. We report our findings on FNAB cultures synthesis of IL-7, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18 and RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted), all potential modulators of anti-graft reaction.


METHODS
Kidney transplants (KTX) treated with CsA-AZA-Pred from the beginning, were divided into four groups. Group I: day 7 post-KTX, stable; II: day 7 post-KTX, 6.5 +/- 5.5 days before acute rejection; III: first day of acute rejection; IV: day 14 post-KTX, stable. Patients from I and IV remained rejection-free for the first 6 months, at least. All rejection episodes were confirmed by classical core renal biopsy. FNAB samples were cultured according to our published methodology and culture supernatants were collected at 48 h and analysed by ELISA for IL-7, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18 and RANTES.


RESULTS
Group III synthesized significantly higher amounts of IL-7, IL-16 and IL-18 than stable patients (groups I and IV). RANTES production did not show significant differences among the four groups. We did not find any trace of IL-15.


CONCLUSIONS
IL-18 may play the activation role that has been attributed to IL-12 which previously, we did not find to correlate significantly with acute rejection in KTX. IL-16 seems to play an activation role rather than an inhibition of anti-graft reaction. We confirm that RANTES is not significantly associated with acute rejection in KTX.
de Oliveira
José Gerardo Gonçalves
JG
Renal Department, Hospital S. João, Porto, Portugal. gerardooliveira@mail.telepac.pt
Xavier
Paula Dias Pinto
PD
Sampaio
Susana Moreira
SM
Tavares
Isabel Salomé
IS
Mendes
Armando Augusto
AA
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D019410:Interleukin-16 / Q000032:analysis; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000032:analysis; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000032:analysis; D007378:Interleukins / Q000032:analysis*; D007668:Kidney / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D019410:Interleukin-16; D020382:Interleukin-18; D015851:Interleukin-7; D007378:Interleukins