Pre- and post-transplant monitoring of granzyme B enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay in pediatric liver recipients.
This study aims to investigate potential role of granzyme B enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (GrB ELISPOT) for immunological monitoring in pediatric liver transplantation.


METHODS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 28 pediatric recipients were serially tested for GrB-producing donor-reactive cells at day 0 pre-transplantation (baseline) and days 7, 14, and 28 post-transplantation.


RESULTS
At baseline, no difference of GrB value was found in acute rejection (14/28) compared to normal graft function patients (day 0: 4(3.9) spots versus 5(2.9) spots, respectively: p=0.65). At day 7 post-transplantation, acute rejection patients showed frequencies of GrB ELISPOT higher than those with normal graft function, but the differences observed were not statistically significant (day 7: 15(4.9) spots versus 10(4.0) spots, respectively: p=0.55). GrB increased significantly at day 7 from baseline in the rejection group (15(4.9) spots versus 4(3.9), respectively p=0.04), whereas corresponding changes were not significant in the group without rejection (10(4.0) versus 5(2.9), respectively: p=0.15).


CONCLUSIONS
GrB ELISPOT pre-transplantation could not predict the occurrence of early post-transplant acute rejection; similarly frequencies at days 7, 14 and 28 could not be correlated with acute rejection in pediatric liver recipients. However, a kinetic study of GrB ELISPOT could be helpful to predict or confirm early rejection in the small group of liver allograft recipients analyzed in this study.
Truong
Dinh Quang
DQ
Pediatric Liver Transplant Program, Saint-Luc University Clinics, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Cornet
Anne
A
Wieërs
Grégoire
G
Robert
Annie
A
Reding
Raymond
R
Latinne
Dominique
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology; D053804:Granzymes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008297:Male; D015166:Monitoring, Immunologic; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology
D006680:HLA Antigens; D053804:Granzymes