SOLUBLE HLA CLASS-I ANTIGENS IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS WITH RENAL-TRANSPLANTS FROM RELATED LIVING DONORS WITHOUT ACUTE REJECTION AND TREATED WITH TRIPLE THERAPY

All HLA class I Ag-expressing cells may be the source of serum Ag sHLA I. T and B lymphocytes secrete considerable amounts of Ag sHLA I in a variety of in vitro and in vivo activation systems. The purpose of th is study was to evaluate the level of Ag sHLA I in serum of children w ith kidney transplants from related living donors without acute reject ion and with triple therapy, We studied 25 patients (2-21 years) with first kidney transplant, 19 individuals (10-20 years) undergoing hemod ialysis without transplant, and 25 normal children (4-21 years). The l evels of Ag sHLA in transplant patients was 0.2-3.2 mu g/ml ((x) over bar=1.04). The hemodialyzed patients was 0.48-4.5 mu g/ml ((x) over ba r=2.09), and the normal control was 0.30-4.38 mu g/ml ((x) over bar=2. 04). A statistically significant reduction was observed in transplant patients compared to normal control and hemodialyzed patients (P <0.05 in both cases), whereas between normal and hemodialyzed patients no s ignificant difference was seen (p >0.05). The reduced levels of Ag sHL A I in blood could be an expression of adequate immunosuppressive trea tment.