1.Results of inflammatory cytokines after kidney transplantation
Ariunaa A ; Gansukh Ch ; Ulziikhuu T ; Enkh-Amar B ; Batbaatar G ; Tsogtsaikhan S ; Sarantsetseg J ; Khongorzul T
Mongolian Journal of Health Sciences 2025;85(1):14-18
Background:
Organ transplantation has been rapidly advancing in Mongolia in recent years. The number of successful
kidney, liver, and bone marrow transplants performed in national central hospitals has been increasing annually. While the
number of successful kidney transplants is increasing, post-transplant immune monitoring remains insufficiently studied.
Aim:
To assess post-transplant immune status by analyzing inflammatory cytokine levels in kidney transplant recipients
Materials and Methods:
A prospective cohort study was conducted at the First Central Hospital of Mongolia. Serum
samples from kidney transplant recipients were analyzed using flow cytometry to measure the levels of 13 inflammatory
cytokines, including TGF-β1, PAI-1, sTREM-1, PTX3, sCD40L, sCD25 (IL-2Ra), CXCL12 (SDF-1), sST2, sTNF-RI,
sTNF-RII, sRAGE, CX3CL1 (Fractalkine), and sCD130 (gp130). Statistical analysis was performed to assess the results.
Results:
The mean creatinine level significantly decreased on post-transplant days 7 and 30 compared to pre-transplant
levels (p<0.001, ANOVA). No statistically significant difference was found in the 13 cytokine levels between the high
risk and low-risk groups based on creatinine levels on post-transplant day 30 (p>0.05). However, the levels of TGF-β1,
CX3CL1, sTREM-1, and sTNF-RI showed statistically significant differences between post-transplant days 7 and 30
(p<0.05). No significant correlation was found between the measured cytokine levels and CRP (p > 0.05). On post-transplant day 7, sTREM-1 had a weak correlation with TGF-β1 (r=0.40, p=0.02) and sTNF-RI (r=0.36, p=0.05) but showed a
strong correlation with CX3CL1 (r=0.65, p=0.0001). On post-transplant day 30, sTREM-1 remained strongly correlated
with CX3CL1 (r=0.73, p=0.0001) and moderately correlated with sTNF-RI and TGF-β1 (r=0.45, p=0.01).
Conclusions
1. The levels of TGF-β1, CX3CL1, sTREM-1, and sTNF-RI significantly varied between post-transplant days 7 and
30 (p< 0.05, T-test).
2. On post-transplant day 30, these cytokines were not correlated with CRP but were interrelated among themselves.