title: Interleukin-6 first plays pro- then anti-inflammatory role in early versus late acute renal allograft rejection.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the potential role of IL-6 in acute T-cell-mediated renal rejection (ACR) during different periods post-transplantation. Fifty-three patients with ACR (32 of whom developed ACR within the first month; 12, between 2 and 6 months; and 9, between 7 and 12 months post-transplantation), 31 patients with delayed graft function (DGF), and 38 recipients with stable renal allograft function were recruited. Luminex analysis was used to monitor levels of IL-6, sIL-6R, IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in 228 serum samples from 122 patients, including ACR patients before and during rejection, and after rejection reversal, DGF patients, and stable controls. The associations between IL-6 levels and sIL-6R, IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-1Ra levels were analyzed using Spearman correlation analysis. In patients who developed ACR within the first month post-transplantation, serum IL-6 concentrations increased significantly compared to the stable control group, but decreased in patients who developed ACR between 2 and 12 months post-transplantation. Concomitantly, levels of sIL-6R gradually increased when ACR occurred between 2 and 12 months post-transplantation. IL-6 levels correlated with IL-1β levels in early stage ACR and with levels of IL-1Ra in late stage ACR. Our results suggest that IL-6 acts as a pro-inflammatory cytokine during early-stage ACR, and plays an anti-inflammatory role during later stages post-transplantation.
authors.affiliation: 309 Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Organ Transplantation Institute, 17 Heishanhu Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100091, China; phone: 86 010 51520922; fax: 86 010 51520921; e mail: shibingyi@medmail.com.cn.
authors.forename: Xinying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Yeyong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Zhouli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Wenqiang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Meimei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Bingyi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D064591:Allografts / Q000276:immunology*; D002681:China; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D053582:Interleukin-1alpha / Q000097:blood; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008689:Methacrylates; D011140:Polyurethanes; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D053582:Interleukin-1alpha; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008689:Methacrylates; D011140:Polyurethanes; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1; C029824:urethane dimethacrylate luting resin
keywords: IL-1 receptor antagonist; acute allograft rejection; interleukin-6; kidney transplantation