Decreased mineralocorticoid receptor expression in blood cells of kidney transplant recipients undergoing immunosuppressive treatment: cost efficient determination by quantitative PCR

Hyperkalemia: Major but still understudied complication among heart transplant recipients

Hyperkalemia is a recognized and potentially life-threatening complication of heart transplantation. In the complex biosystem created by transplantation, recipients are susceptible to multiple mechanisms for hyperkalemia which are discussed in detail in this manuscript. Hyperkalemia in heart transplantation could occur pre-transplant, during the transplant period, or post-transplant. Pre-transplant causes of hyperkalemia include hypothermia, donor heart preservation solutions, conventional cardioplegia, normokalemic cardioplegia, continuous warm reperfusion technique, and ex-vivo heart perfusion. Intra-transplant causes of hyperkalemia include anesthetic medications used during the procedure, heparinization, blood transfusions, and a low output state. Finally, post-transplant causes of hyperkalemia include hemostasis and drug-induced hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia has been studied in kidney and liver transplant recipients, but there is limited data on the incidence, causes, management, and prevention in heart transplant recipients. Hyperkalemia is associated with an increased risk of hospital mortality and readmission in these patients. This review describes the current literature pertaining to the causes, pathophysiology, and treatment of hyperkalemia in patients undergoing heart transplantation and focuses primarily on post-heart transplantation.

Aldosterone Resistance Due to Tacrolimus: A Case Report

Although more common with tacrolimus, it is known that calcineurin inhibitors may induce the development of electrolyte disorders such as hyponatremia and hyperkalemia by causing a hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism-like syndrome. We present a 32-year-old female renal transplant patient who admitted to clinic with hyponatremia and hyperkalemia. Normal anion gap metabolic acidosis and renal tubular dysfunction were detected and after other reasons were excluded, it was considered as electrolyte disorder due to tacrolimus. No response was detected after tacrolimus conversion to everolimus and considering tubular dysfunction due to aldosterone resistance, we initiated fludrocortisone therapy and electrolyte disorders rapidly improved. Fludrocortisone therapy should be considered when hyponatremia and/or hyperkalemia due to tacrolimus are detected in renal transplant patients.

Fludrocortisone therapy in renal transplant recipients with persistent hyperkalemia

Hyperkalemia after kidney transplantation is a common electrolyte disturbance and the risk factors are multifactorial. Pharmacotherapeutic agents for chronic management of hyperkalemia in kidney transplant patients may be relatively contraindicated or provide suboptimal efficacy. Fludrocortisone, an endogenous mineralocorticoid mimics the actions of aldosterone, hence hyperkalemia reversal. We describe three- case series of persistent hyperkalemia with demonstrated benefit from fludrocortisone therapy. Our three renal transplant recipients with multiple emergency room visits for elevated serum potassium levels despite treatment with diuretics, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium polystyrene sulfonate responded well to fludrocortisones therapy. Upon fludrocortisone initiation and maintenance therapy, all three patients experienced a decline in serum potassium levels to normal reference range.

Syndromes of impaired ion handling in the distal nephron: pseudohypoaldosteronism and familial hyperkalemic hypertension

The distal nephron, which is the site of the micro-regulation of water absorption and ion handling in the kidneys, is under the control of aldosterone. Impairment of the mineralocorticoid signal transduction pathway results in resistance to the action of aldosterone and of mineralocorticoids in general. Herein, we review two syndromes in which ion handling in the distal nephron is impaired: pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA) and familial hyperkalemic hypertension (FHH). PHA is a rare inherited syndrome characterized by mineralocorticoid resistance, which leads to salt loss, hypotension, hyperkalemia and metabolic acidosis. There are two types of this syndrome: a renal (autosomal dominant) type due to mutations of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), and a systemic (autosomal recessive) type due to mutations of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). There is also a transient form of PHA, which may be due to urinary tract infections, obstructive uropathy or several medications. FHH is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome, characterized by salt retention, hypertension, hyperkalemia and metabolic acidosis. In FHH, mutations of WNK (with-no-lysine kinase) 4 and 1 alter the activity of several ion transportation systems in the distal nephron. The study of the pathophysiology of PHA and FHH greatly elucidated our understanding of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system function and ion handling in the distal nephron. The physiological role of the distal nephron and the pathophysiology of diseases in which the renal tubule is implicated may hence be better understood and, based on this understanding, new drugs can be developed.

GPR48 increases mineralocorticoid receptor gene expression

Aldosterone and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) are critical to the maintenance of electrolyte and BP homeostasis. Mutations in the MR cause aldosterone resistance known as pseudohypoaldosteronism type 1 (PHA1); however, some cases consistent with PHA1 do not exhibit known gene mutations, suggesting the possibility of alternative genetic variants. We observed that G protein-coupled receptor 48 (Gpr48/Lgr4) hypomorphic mutant (Gpr48(m/m)) mice had hyperkalemia and increased water loss and salt excretion despite elevated plasma aldosterone levels, suggesting aldosterone resistance. When we challenged the mice with a low-sodium diet, these features became more obvious; the mice also developed hyponatremia and increased renin expression and activity, resembling a mild state of PHA1. There was marked renal downregulation of MR and its downstream targets (e.g., the α-subunit of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel), which could provide a mechanism for the aldosterone resistance. We identified a noncanonical cAMP-responsive element located in the MR promoter and demonstrated that GPR48 upregulates MR expression via the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway in vitro. Taken together, our data demonstrate that GPR48 enhances aldosterone responsiveness by activating MR expression, suggesting that GPR48 contributes to homeostasis of electrolytes and BP and may be a candidate gene for PHA1.

Calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity

The use of the calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporine and tacrolimus led to major advances in the field of transplantation, with excellent short-term outcome. However, the chronic nephrotoxicity of these drugs is the Achilles' heel of current immunosuppressive regimens. In this review, the authors summarize the clinical features and histologic appearance of both acute and chronic calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity in renal and nonrenal transplantation, together with the pitfalls in its diagnosis. The authors also review the available literature on the physiologic and molecular mechanisms underlying acute and chronic calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, and demonstrate that its development is related to both reversible alterations and irreversible damage to all compartments of the kidneys, including glomeruli, arterioles, and tubulo-interstitium. The main question--whether nephrotoxicity is secondary to the actions of cyclosporine and tacrolimus on the calcineurin-NFAT pathway--remains largely unanswered. The authors critically review the current evidence relating systemic blood levels of cyclosporine and tacrolimus to calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, and summarize the data suggesting that local exposure to cyclosporine or tacrolimus could be more important than systemic exposure. Finally, other local susceptibility factors for calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity are reviewed, including variability in P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4/5 expression or activity, older kidney age, salt depletion, the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and genetic polymorphisms in genes like TGF-beta and ACE. Better insight into the mechanisms underlying calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity might pave the way toward more targeted therapy or prevention of calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity.

Severe hyperkalemic type 4 renal tubular acidosis after kidney transplantation: a case report

BACKGROUND

Hyperkalemia after transplantation is a common event, occurring in up to 70% of patients. It is usually asymptomatic but sometimes manifests as muscle weakness or cardiac arrhythmias.

METHODS

Case report.

RESULTS

At 102 days after a second cadaveric kidney transplantation, a 15-year-old boy, was admitted to the emergency room with severe muscle weakness. His examinations showed a serum potassium of 9.8 mEq/L; blood pH 7.1; serum bicarbonate 7.6 mmol/L; and creatinine 2.5 mg/dL. He was initially treated with sodium bicarbonate, calcium gluconate, and furosemide. Subsequent investigation showed hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, urinary pH <5.5, positive urinary anion gap, reduced transtubular potassium gradient (TTKG, 1.5) and low levels of aldosterone (0.7 ng/mL), suggesting the presence of type 4 renal tubular acidosis (RTA). Other causes of hyperkalemia were excluded in the present case. Serum levels of potassium returned to normal when fludrocortisone was added to the bicarbonate supplementation. This case of severe hyperkalemic secondary to type 4 RTA after kidney transplantation only responded to the combination of alkali and mineralocorticoid therapies.

Mineralocorticoid resistance

The mineralocorticoid aldosterone plays a crucial role in regulation of volume and electrolyte homeostasis. In recent years there has been considerable progress in deciphering the role of aldosterone in human physiology by the study of monogenic disorders exhibiting mineralocorticoid resistance. Although these disorders are rare, the elucidation of their molecular basis has yielded many insights into aldosterone biology that are proving relevant to the care of patients with a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases. Recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of syndromes of mineralocorticoid resistance are reviewed with a view towards an improved understanding of the role of aldosterone in renal sodium transport and its relationship to cardiovascular disease.