Complement C4d deposition in transplanted kidneys: preliminary report on long-term graft survival.
The effects of antibody-mediated rejection on long-term graft survival have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study is to clarify the influence on long-term survival of deposition of the complement split product C4d in allografts using polyclonal anti-C4d antibody. Inclusion criteria were recipients who underwent graft biopsy during acute deterioration of graft function within the first 2 yr after transplantation. Patients whose graft did not survive more than 1 yr and who received graft from an human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling or an ABO-incompatible donor were excluded. Among the 92 recipients investigated, 22 (23.9%) had peritubular capillary C4d deposition, 15 (16.3%) had glomerular capillary C4d deposition and seven (7.6%) had both peritubular and glomerular capillary C4d deposition. Twenty of these 22 patients revealed acute cellular rejection, including borderline changes. There was no significant relationship between pathological severity of acute rejection and presence or absence of peritubular capillary C4d deposition. Graft survival was inferior in patients with peritubular capillary C4d deposition to that in patients without C4d deposition (p = 0.0419). Graft survival in patients with glomerular C4d deposition did not differ from that in patients without C4d deposition. In conclusion, C4d deposition in peritubular capillaries has a substantial impact on long-term graft survival.
Kawamura
Nahoko
N
Department of Nephrology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan.
Tomita
Makoto
M
Hasegawa
Midori
M
Murakami
Kazutaka
K
Nabeshima
Kunihiro
K
Kushimoto
Hiroko
H
Kasugai
Masami
M
Takahashi
Kazuo
K
Hiki
Yoshiyuki
Y
Kinukawa
Tsuneo
T
Usuda
Nobumitsu
N
Sugiyama
Satoshi
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002196:Capillaries / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D015935:Complement C4b / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000378:metabolism*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D010446:Peptide Fragments; D015935:Complement C4b; C032261:complement C4d