title: Neutrophil immunosurveillance for heart transplant rejection: a prospective study.
abstract: Immunologic surveillance for rejection detection in human heart transplantation offers many potential advantages. To date, investigative efforts have focused primarily on the acquired immune system, particularly the lymphocyte. Little attention has been given to aspects of innate immune function. We have previously reported that perioperative neutrophil adhesion molecule expression is associated with early rejection episodes after human cardiac transplantation. Herein we have investigated the utility of neutrophil immunosurveillance in human heart transplant recipients at later time points. We recruited patients more than 3 months after transplantation. Neutrophil assessment was performed simultaneously with an endomyocardial biopsy that showed rejection. No significant relationship was seen between neutrophil maturity (P = .622; n = 34), adhesion marker expression (P = .567; n = 34), respiratory burst (P = .604; n = 34), or apoptosis rates (P = .662; n = 34) and contemporary rejection status at >3 months after transplantation. However, interesting relationships were noted between neutrophil adhesion markers at this late stage and historical rejection status. Higher levels of the adhesion protein CD11b observed at this late stage were significantly associated with a history of higher rejection grades in the first postoperative biopsy (Spearman rank coefficient 0.359; R = 0.304; P = .005; n = 62). Other aspects of neutrophil function and persistence were not significantly associated with rejection history. This finding, combined with the previously reported findings, supports a role for an individual phenotype in neutrophil function in early rejection episodes after transplantation.
authors.affiliation: National Heart Lung Transplant Programme, Prof. Eoin O'Malley National Centre for Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, School of Medicine and Medical Science, Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. cardiothoracic@gmail.com
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.forename: R W G
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: O'Mahony
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016897:Respiratory Burst
chemical_list: D039481:CD11b Antigen