Circulating endothelial cells transiently increase in peripheral blood after kidney transplantation

Abstract

The diagnosis of kidney allograft rejection is based on late histological and clinical markers. Early, specific and minimally-invasive biomarkers may improve rejection diagnosis. Endothelial cells (EC) are one of the earliest targets in kidney transplant rejection. We investigated whether circulating EC (cEC) could serve as an earlier and less invasive biomarker for allograft rejection. Blood was collected from a cohort of 51 kidney transplant recipients before and at multiple timepoints after transplantation, including during a for cause biopsy. The number and phenotype of EC was assessed by flow-cytometric analysis. Unbiased selection of EC was done using principal component (PCA) analysis. Paired analysis revealed a transient cEC increase of 2.1-fold on the third day post-transplant, recovering to preoperative levels at seventh day post-transplant and onwards. Analysis of HLA subtype demonstrated that cEC mainly originate from the recipient. cEC levels were not associated with allograft rejection, allograft function or other allograft pathologies. However, cEC in patients with allograft rejection and increased levels of cEC showed elevated levels of KIM-1 (kidney injury marker-1). These findings indicate that cEC numbers and phenotype are affected after kidney transplantation but may not improve rejection diagnosis.

Alloreactive T cells to Assess Acute Rejection Risk in Kidney Transplant Recipients

“…Adult kidney transplant candidates who were admitted to receive a kidney transplant at the Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam between August 2018 to May 2019 participated in the Liquid Biopsies for minimally invasive Detection of AR study which aims to identify minimally invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of acute kidney transplant rejection. 19 , 20 All patients provided written informed consent and the study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Erasmus MC Rotterdam, the Netherlands (number 2010-022 and number 2018-035). All experiments were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations of our institution and in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki.…”

Perfusate Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin, Kidney Injury Molecular-1, Liver-Type Fatty Acid Binding Protein, and Interleukin-18 as Potential Biomarkers to Predict Delayed Graft Function and Long-Term Prognosis in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

“…Kidney transplantation is the best choice for treatment of endstage kidney disease (ESKD). For patients with ESKD, this operation of can improve quality of life and help rebuild patient confidence and return to society [1], and the cost of longterm treatment is significantly lower than that of dialysis [2].…”