title: Increased serum creatine kinase is a reliable marker for acute transplanted heart rejection diagnosis in rats.
abstract: Different molecules have been studied as biochemical markers in heart transplantation. However, their utility is under discussion as results in human and animal models are controversial. In this work, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and cardiac troponin I (TnI) were studied as serologic markers of acute rejection after heterotopical heart transplantation in rats. In predictable rejection experiments, animals were divided into three groups: nonoperated (Lewis rats), control group (Lewis-Lewis isografts) and rejection group (Brown Norway-Lewis allografts). Nonpredictable rejection experiments were performed using nonconsanguineous Sprague-Dawley allografts. In predictable rejection experiments, LDH activity was similar between control and rejection groups. TnI values were heterogeneous in control and rejection groups. In contrast, the rejection group showed CK activity increased 4.5-fold compared with the control group. In addition to these predictable studies, we also presented novel nonpredictable experiments in which rats were divided into groups based on low and high CK activity. Histologic studies in these rats showed that none of those with low CK activity presented rejection signs, while all animals with high CK levels showed grade 2R rejection. These results suggest that CK might be an excellent marker for prediction of rejection in heart transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Ciéncies Fisiològiques I, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Unitat de Bioquímica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, and Departament de Cirurgia i Especialitats Quirúrgiques, Hospital Clinic, Spain.
authors.forename: Elisenda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bañón-Maneus
authors.forename: Ebrahim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kahbiri
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Marín
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pomar-Moya
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Climent
authors.forename: Pablo Pérez
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: de la Ossa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000201:enzymology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019210:Troponin I; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D003402:Creatine Kinase