Abstract:

BACKGROUND: At present, there are many reports on the changes of cytokines after allogenic organ transplantation, but the reports on the dynamic expression of cytokines in renal transplantation patients and the relationship with acute rejection after renal transplantation are rare.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes of serum cytokines expression before and after renal transplantation and to investigate the relationship with acute rejection.
METHODS: Forty-eight renal transplantation recipients were chosen from the Affiliate Hospital of Logistics College of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces during September 2008 to September 2011, and all the patients were in the first renal transplantation. The patients were divided into acute rejection group and stable renal function group. Another 30 health people were selected as control group.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 between the stable renal function group, acute rejection group and the control group at 1 day after renal transplantation (P > 0.05). The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 in the stable renal function group were gradually increased at 1 day after renal transplantation, significantly increased at 3 days after transplantation (P < 0.05); then began to decrease at 5 days after transplantation, significantly decreased at 7 days after transplantation (P < 0.05), and decreased to the pre-transplantation point at 14 days. The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 in the stable renal function group were kept in the levels before transplantation from 21 days to 28 days. In the acute rejection group, the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 were increased significantly at 1 day after transplantation (P < 0.05), kept the high levels from 7 days to 14 days (P < 0.05), then decreased from 21 days to 28 days, but the levels were significantly higher than those before transplantation (P < 0.05). At the same time point, the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 in the acute rejection group were significantly higher than those in the stable renal function group (P < 0.05). The dynamic expression of serum tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 can estimate the immune function of renal transplantation recipients and can be used as the immunobiology indicators for the early diagnosis of acute rejection after renal transplantation.