RANTES and MCP-1 chemokine plasma levels in chronic renal transplant dysfunction and chronic renal failure.

OBJECTIVES

Procedures to diagnose renal allograft rejection depend on detection of graft dysfunction due to the presence of mononuclear leukocytic infiltrates.

DESIGN AND METHODS

In our study, we pursued an immunodiagnostic approach utilizing an ELISA method on plasma samples to monitor patients waiting to undergo transplantation in order to evidence prognostic developments in renal transplantation and, at least, to diagnose renal chronic transplant dysfunction. We analyzed blood levels of two chemokines, RANTES and MCP-1, which are normally overexpressed locally in renal chronic rejection.

RESULTS

Our results showed that patients affected by chronic renal failure (and waiting for kidney transplant), as well as kidney-grafted patients affected by chronic transplant dysfunction, had plasma levels of RANTES significantly higher than those of controls (patients without acute or chronic pathologies).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest a simple method to evaluate the plasmatic presence of RANTES, which could be involved in longterm kidney graft failure.