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Leotta C, Hernandez L, Tothova L, Arefin S, Ciceri P, Cozzolino MG, Barany P, Chromek M, Stenvinkel P, Kublickiene K. Levels of Cell-Free DNA in Kidney Failure Patients before and after Renal Transplantation. Cells 2023; 12:2774. [PMID: 38132094 PMCID: PMC10741614 DOI: 10.3390/cells12242774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has diverse applications in oncological, prenatal, toxicological, cardiovascular, and autoimmune diseases, diagnostics, and organ transplantation. In particular, mitochondrial cfDNA (mt-cfDNA) is associated with inflammation and linked to early vascular ageing (EVA) in end-stage kidney failure (ESKF), which could be a noninvasive marker for graft rejection and organ damage. Plasma samples from 44 ESKF patients, of whom half (n = 22) underwent either conservative therapy (non-HD) or hemodialysis (HD) before kidney transplantation (KT). These samples were analyzed at baseline and two years after KT. cfDNA was extracted from plasma and quantified using the fluorometric method. qPCR was used to quantify and differentiate the fractions of mt-cfDNA and nuclear cfDNA (nc-cfDNA). mt-cfDNA levels in KT patients decreased significantly from baseline to two years post-KT (p < 0.0268), while levels of total cfDNA and nc-cfDNA did not differ. Depending on therapy modality (HD vs. non-HD) before KT, total cfDNA levels were higher in HD patients at both baseline (p = 0.0133) and two years post-KT (p = 0.0421), while nc-cfDNA levels were higher in HD only at baseline (p = 0.0079). Males showed a nonsignificant trend of higher cfDNA levels. Patients with assessed vascular fibrosis (p = 0.0068), either alone or in combination with calcification plus fibrosis, showed reduced mt-cfDNA post-KT (p = 0.0195). Changes in mt-cfDNA levels suggests the impact of KT on the inflammatory state of ESKF, as evidenced via its correlation with high sensitivity C-reactive protein after KT. Further studies are warranted to assess if cfDNA could serve as a noninvasive method for monitoring the response to organ transplantation and even for amelioration of EVA status per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Leotta
- Division of Renal Medicine, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (L.H.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Renal Division, Department of Health Sciences, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital Milan, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy (M.G.C.)
| | - Leah Hernandez
- Division of Renal Medicine, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (L.H.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Lubomira Tothova
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 81108 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Samsul Arefin
- Division of Renal Medicine, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (L.H.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Paola Ciceri
- Renal Division, Department of Health Sciences, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital Milan, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy (M.G.C.)
| | - Mario Gennaro Cozzolino
- Renal Division, Department of Health Sciences, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital Milan, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy (M.G.C.)
| | - Peter Barany
- Division of Renal Medicine, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (L.H.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Milan Chromek
- Division of Renal Medicine, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (L.H.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Division of Pediatrics, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska University Hospital, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Stenvinkel
- Division of Renal Medicine, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (L.H.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Karolina Kublickiene
- Division of Renal Medicine, Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.L.); (L.H.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
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Yoo A, Riedel A, Qian I, Bartosic A, Soltani R, Kibria G, Haririan A, Drachenberg CB, Abrams PL, Odorico JS, Cooper M, Bromberg JS, Scalea JR. An Initial Analysis of the Baseline Levels of Dd-cfDNA After Pancreas Transplantation: A Prospective Study From High-volume Centers in the United States. Transplant Direct 2023; 9:e1459. [PMID: 36935870 PMCID: PMC10019258 DOI: 10.1097/txd.0000000000001459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreas transplantation offers patients with diabetes an opportunity for glucose homeostasis. Current blood tests to surveil for rejection have poor sensitivity and specificity for identifying rejection, and pancreas biopsies are challenging and associated with morbidity and graft loss. Donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) is shed from transplanted organs and detectable in peripheral blood. Thus, a potential dd-cfDNA blood test assessing rejection would be clinically advantageous. Methods One hundred eighty-one dd-cfDNA samples (n) were collected from 77 patients (N) up to 132 mo posttransplant. Results The median dd-cfDNA level among all subjects was 0.28% (0.13%, 0.71%). In simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant recipients, the median dd-cfDNA level was 0.29% (0.13%, 0.71%), and it was 0.23% (0.08%, 0.71%) in pancreas transplant alone (PTA) recipients. When isolating for when without infection or rejection, the median dd-cfDNA level was 0.28% (0.13%, 0.64%) for SPK and 0.20% (0.00%, 0.32%) for PTA. Both transplant types approached 1.0% ≤1 mo posttransplant followed by a decrease in median dd-cfDNA. During episodes of rejection or infection, median dd-cfDNA levels were greater among all transplant types. Conclusions The mean dd-cfDNA level for all pancreas transplant recipients is <1.0%, consistent with the published kidney transplant rejection threshold (>1.0%), regardless of SPK or PTA. Early posttransplant dd-cfDNA levels are transiently higher than later measurements. Dd-cfDNA elevation also correlates with rejection and infection and thus is a promising biomarker for surveilling pancreas transplant dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Yoo
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Alexandria Riedel
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ian Qian
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Amanda Bartosic
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Rudi Soltani
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | - Gulam Kibria
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Abdolreza Haririan
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Cinthia B. Drachenberg
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Jon S. Odorico
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | | | - Jonathan S. Bromberg
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Joseph R. Scalea
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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Etxebarria A, Díez-martín E, Astigarraga E, Barreda-gómez G. Role of the Immune System in Renal Transplantation, Types of Response, Technical Approaches and Current Challenges. Immuno 2022; 2:548-570. [DOI: 10.3390/immuno2040035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances over the last decades have made renal transplantation an important therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease, as the incidences of acute rejection and short-term transplant loss have been significantly reduced. However, long-term transplant survival remains a challenge in the renal transplantation community. The main causes of long-term graft loss are acute and chronic rejection, as well as the complications related to immunosuppression therapy. In spite of the breakthroughs achieved in recent years, histology is the gold standard technique to confirm the activation of the immune system against the graft with all the ensuing problems that taking biopsies brings to immunosuppressed patients. For this reason, several assays have been developed to try to monitor the immune function, but they show serious constraints owing to the fact that they require substantial laboratory work, they are not clinically available and they provide controversial results, so the combination of multiple assays is often needed to obtain a reliable diagnosis. Thus, the aim of this review is to perform a retrospective study of the immune system in renal transplantation, with special emphasis on the cutting-edge technological developments for monitoring, classification and early detection of rejection episodes in order to contribute to a better adjustment of immunosuppressive therapies and, hence, to a more personalized medicine that improves the quality of life of patients.
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