title: Management of sensitized patients awaiting renal transplantation: does sequential therapy of intravenous immunoglobulin and simvastatin offer a solution?
abstract: The value of intravenous immunoglobulin and simvastatin as potential modalities for the treatment of sensitized patients was studied. We aimed to test their efficacy as solo agents to inhibit anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies. We tested samples from 11 adult hemodialysis patients who were waiting for renal allotransplantation at our center, all of whom had persistently positive crossmatches with their living related donors and panel reactive antibody titers more than 20%. All patients received intravenous immunoglobulin (500 mg/kg/day on alternate days for 6 doses). Panel reactive antibody titer measurement and crossmatch testing were carried out after each dose and before each subsequent one. Two months later, 8 patients received simvastatin (20 mg/day) for 2 months. Panel reactive antibody measurement titer and crossmatch testing were carried out every 2 weeks. Only 4 patients showed an insignificant reduction in panel reactive antibody activity (P=0.36). None of them attained a negative crossmatch. Furthermore, simvastatin also resulted in an insignificant reduction of HLA antibodies in 3 patients (P=0.32). We concluded that intravenous immunoglobulin or simvastatin alone cannot effectively inhibit preformed anti-HLA antibodies to allow successful renal transplantation. Further trials of the use of intravenous immunoglobulin and simvastatin with other modalities to desensitize these patients may be warranted.
authors.affiliation: Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University, Egypt. khaledmahmoud2000@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Khaled M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sobh
authors.forename: Farha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: El Shenawy
authors.forename: Amani M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Isamil
authors.forename: Megahed Abo
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: El-Magd
authors.forename: Nabil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Amgad E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: El-Agroudy
authors.forename: Hussein A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Sheashaa
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opelz
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ghoneim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007518:Isoantibodies; D019821:Simvastatin