Luque J, Torres M I, Aumente M D, Marín J, García-Jurado G, González R, Pascual D, Guerra N, López-Rubio F, Alvarez-López M R, Arizón J M, Peña J
Service of Immunology, Reina Sofía University Hospital, Cordoba, Spain.
Hum Immunol. 2006 Apr-May;67(4-5):257-63. doi: 10.1016/j.humimm.2006.02.034. Epub 2006 Apr 7.
The aims of this study were to quantify the level of soluble HLA-G in heart transplant patients, to determine the relationship between the sHLA-G levels and the appearance of acute rejection episodes, and to identify the influence of immunosuppressive therapy on sHLA-G levels. Analysis of sHLA-G, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the transplant patients, revealed the existence of two similarly sized groups of patients. One group displayed a significant increase (p < 0.001) in sHLA-G during the first month after transplantation while the other group maintained low levels of the molecule (0-30 ng/ml) throughout the study. The latter group displayed a high incidence of recurrent severe rejection. A significant increase (p < 0.01) in sHLA-G 2 hours after administration of immunosuppressive treatment (mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine A/FK506, corticoids) was found. These results suggest that sHLA-G participates in the induction of certain levels of immunological tolerance in these recipients.
