title: Balance of transforming growth factor-beta1 and platelet-derived growth factor-BB is associated with kidney allograft rejection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  About 50% of kidney-transplant patients undergo organ rejection within 10 years. Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) represents the dominant cause of kidney transplant failure and accounts for 50-80% of graft loss in long-term surviving patients. CAN pathogenesis is multifactorial and not-completely elucidated; several reports indicate TGF-beta1 and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB expression in CAN suggesting a possible role of these factors in the allograft arteriosclerosis and graft failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the plasma expression concentrations of human growth factors with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and appropriate statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We present evidences showing statistically significant association of CAN with a specific balance between TGF Beat1 and PDGF-BB plasma concentrations, in 129 kidney-transplant patients and 15 healthy controls. Odds ratios were computed to correlate expression-levels with CAN occurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We believe these data may suggest a novel non-invasive method to identify early molecular markers of graft deterioration.
authors.affiliation: Centro Shock, IASI-CNR, Largo Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. aldopozzetto@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ubaldo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pozzetto
authors.forename: Damiano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abeni
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Citterio
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castagneto
authors.forename: Maurizio C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Capogrossi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facchiano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000077214:Becaplermin; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis*; D020574:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D020574:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D000077214:Becaplermin