Clinical relevance of antibodies to HLA antigens undetectable by the standard complement-dependent cytotoxicity test.
Recent literary data suggest that antibodies to HLA antigens undetectable by the standard complement-dependent cytotoxicity test may cause not only chronic, but also acute immunological complications after kidney transplantation. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of non-cytotoxic antibodies to HLA antigens for the development of immunological complications and a worse graft prognosis after first kidney transplantation. Sera before and early after transplantation from 120 first kidney recipients were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCXM), ELISA and the standard complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) test. Pre-transplant FCXM negativity was related to a lower incidence of rejection episodes in the first post-transplant year ( P<0.01). A significant association between acute rejection and the presence of antibodies to HLA class II antigens before and after transplantation was also found ( P<0.05). Our study supports the findings of other centers of the detrimental role to the kidney graft played by anti-HLA antibodies undetectable by the classical CDC test.
Slavcev
Antonij
A
Department of Immunogenetics, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Videnska 1958/9, 14021 Prague, Czech Republic. tosl@medicon.cz
Lácha
Jiri
J
Honsová
Eva
E
Sajdlová
Helena
H
Lodererová
Alena
A
Vítko
Stefan
S
Valhová
Sarka
S
Stríz
Ilja
I
Ivasková
Eva
E
D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D014181:Transplantation Immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D000939:Epitopes; D006680:HLA Antigens; D003165:Complement System Proteins