The regular early post-transplantation monitoring of urinary miR-155-5p and CXCL10 can help in the prognosis of AR and graft dysfunction. Large prospective randomized multicentre trials are warranted to refine our cut-off values and validate the clinical usefulness of these biomarkers.

BackgroundThe correct valganciclovir dose for cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis depends on renal function estimated by the Cockcroft–Gault (CG) estimated creatinine clearance (CG-CrCl) formula. Patients with delayed or rapidly changing graft function after transplantation (tx) will need dose adjustments.MethodsWe performed a retrospective investigation of valganciclovir dosing in renal transplant patients receiving CMV prophylaxis between August 2003 and August 2011, and analysed valganciclovir dosing, CG-CrCl, CMV viraemia (CMV-PCR <750 copies/mL), leucopenia (<3500/µL) and neutropenia (<1500/µL) in the first year post-transplant. On Days 30 and 60 post-transplant, dosing pattern in relation to estimated creatinine clearance was analysed regarding CMV viraemia, leucopenia and neutropenia.ResultsSix hundred and thirty-five patients received valganciclovir prophylaxis that lasted 129 ± 68 days with a mean dose of 248 ± 152 mg/day of whom 112/635 (17.7%) developed CMV viraemia, 166/635 (26.1%) leucopenia and 48/635 (7.6%) neutropenia. CMV resistance within 1 year post-transplant was detected in three patients. Only 137/609 (22.6%) patients received the recommended dose, while n = 426 (70.3%) were underdosed and n = 43 (7.1%) were overdosed at Day 30 post-tx. Risk factors for CMV viraemia were donor positive D (+)/receptor negative R (−) status and short prophylaxis duration, but not low valganciclovir dose. Risk factors for developing leucopenia were D+/R− status and low renal function. No significant differences in dosing frequency were observed in patients developing neutropenia or not (P = 0.584).ConclusionMost patients do not receive the recommended valganciclovir dose. Despite obvious underdosing in a large proportion of patients, effective prophylaxis was maintained and it was not associated as a risk factor for CMV viraemia or leucopenia.

AIMSMycophenolic acid (MPA) suppresses lymphocyte proliferation through inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) inhibition. Two formulations have been approved: mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS). Pantoprazole (PAN) inhibits gastric acid secretion, which may alter MPA exposure. Data from healthy volunteers suggest a significant drug-drug interaction (DDA) between pantoprazole and MPA. In transplant patients, a decreased MPA area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) may lead to higher IMPDH activity, which may lead to higher acute rejection risk. Therefore this DDA was evaluated in renal transplant patients under maintenance immunosuppressive therapy. METHODSIn this single-centre, open, randomized, four-sequence, four-treatment crossover study, the influence of PAN 40 mg on MPA pharmacokinetics such as (dose-adjusted) AUC 0-12 h (dAUC) was analysed in 20 renal transplant patients (>6 months post-transplantation) receiving MMF (1-2 g day -1) and EC-MPS in combination with ciclosporin. The major metabolite MPA glucuronide (MPAG) and the IMPDH activity were also examined. RESULTS MMF CONCLUSIONPantoprazole influences EC-MPS and MMF pharmacokinetics but as it had no impact on MPA pharmacodynamics, the immunosuppressive effect of the drug was not impaired. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT• Pantoprazole is a frequently prescribed proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in renal transplant patients as gastrointestinal side effects, such as heartburn, are common under immunosuppressive therapy with mycophenolate.• PPIs influence the bioavailability of drugs by raising gastric pH, which may lead to different dissolution rates or changes in the solubility of drugs. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS• This crossover study analysed the effect of pantoprazole on MMF and EC-MPS pharmacokinetics in renal transplant patients under maintenance immunosuppressive therapy.• For pantoprazole intake, bioequivalence was not established for either MMF or EC-MPS.• Further analysis showed no impact of pantoprazole on MPAG pharmacokinetics or MPA pharmacodynamics.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of immunosuppressants in the clinic is based on the measurement of blood concentration (pharmacokinetics). However, pharmacokinetic monitoring of immunosuppressants does not allow prediction of individual differences in pharmacological effects on immune cells. Pharmacodynamic (PD) monitoring via direct determination of target enzyme activity and phosphorylation of pathway molecules may enhance therapeutic drug monitoring and allow prediction of individual responses to immunosuppressants. This review discusses the clinical relevance of monitoring the activity of inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), the target enzyme of mycophenolic acid, and of the phosphorylation of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) molecules. Significant progress regarding a robust and practicable assay for the determination of IMPDH activity as a specific PD parameter of mycophenolic acid activity has been achieved. The development of a rapid and reliable IMPDH assay system suitable for use in clinical practice was an important step that allowed thorough pharmacokinetics-PD investigations in large numbers of mycophenolic acid-treated patients. A reproducible and validated IMPDH assay was used in a few clinical trials by different research groups and is based on the chromatographic determination of newly generated xanthine monophosphate in mononuclear cell lysates. This assay requires only small volumes of blood and can be reliably used in multicenter trials; however, more clinical data from larger cohorts are needed to determine its clinical utility. Regarding monitoring of mTOR inhibitors (mTORis), the results of the first study that provided data on measurement of mTOR pathway molecules [p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6 kinase) and phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6] suggest that they are suitable targets for individualized PD monitoring of sirolimus and everolimus after organ transplantation. At present, only the phospho-flow phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 assay has been validated in vitro and evaluated for confounding factors in vivo. The reported specific biomarkers for IMPDH activity and phosphorylation of mTOR molecules must be validated in clinical settings and multicenter studies to prove their clinical validity.