Interferon-alpha therapy in liver transplant recipients: lack of association with increased production of anti-HLA antibodies.
Interferon-alpha (IFN) is a useful treatment for active HCV infection. In kidney transplantation, IFN has been shown to trigger acute rejection with de novo anti-HLA antibodies. Interferon-alpha has not been reported to enhance the risk of acute rejection in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients (LTRs). Sera were collected from 44 LTRs greater than 6 months post-transplant. Sera were tested with ELISA for the presence and the specificity of anti-HLA antibodies. The prevalence of anti-HLA antibodies was 11% and was not significantly different in 13 HCV-positive recipients who received IFN, compared with 10 who did not receive IFN (8% vs. 20%), or with 21 HCV-negative recipients (10%). None of the patients had an acute rejection after starting IFN. In this study, LTRs receiving IFN did not have an increased frequency of anti-HLA antibodies. This may partially explain the safety of IFN previously reported in LTRs requiring antiviral therapy.
Renal and Transplantation Units, Departments of Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. francesca.cardarelli@libero.it
Francesca
F
Cardarelli
Manuel
M
Pascual
Raymond T
RT
Chung
Nina
N
Tolkoff-Rubin
Waichi
W
Wong
A Benedict
AB
Cosimi
Susan L
SL
Saidman
D000906:Antibodies; D001706:Biopsy; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007372:Interferons / Q000378:metabolism; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D000906:Antibodies; D006680:HLA Antigens; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007372:Interferons