Implication of soluble and membrane HLA class I and serum IL-10 in liver graft acceptance

Membrane III,A class-I expression (mHLA-I), soluble HLA class-I antigens (s HLA-I) and interleukin (IL)-10 are different factors implicated in the spec ial acceptance of liver allograft. In this study, pre- and post-operative l evels of mHLA-I in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and serum sHLA-I were analyzed in 86 liver transplants, immunosuppressed with Cyclosporine-A, me thylprednisolone and azathioprine, and classified into acute-rejection (AR, n = 28) and non-acute-rejection (NAR, n = 58) groups. Serum IL-10 was stud ied in 47 recipients (AR-group, n = 16 and NAR-group, it = 31). Pre-transpl ant values of mHLA-I and sHLA-I showed a bimodal distribution (high/low) in NAR-recipients, but in AR-patients were mainly included in the ion express ion/secretion zone (mHLA-I, p, < 0.02 and sHLA-I, p < 0.05). Consequently, average pre-transplant mHLA-I (868 +/- 109 versus 998 +/- 123, p < 0.05) an d sHLA-I (1.3 +/- 0.4. versus 2.02 +/- 0.7 mu g/ml,p < 0.01) was lower in t he AR- than in the NAR-group. After transplant both parameters decreased in the NAR-group but increased in AR-recipients previous to and on rejection diagnosis day. Additionally, serum IL-10 levels were significantly higher ( p < 0.01) in the NAR than in the AR-group., during the first 24 h post-tran splant. In conclusion, low pre-transplant mHLA-I and sHLA-I levels pre-disp ose liver recipients to acute rejection, whereas early post-transplant incr eases of serum IL-10 appear to be related to a good liver allograft accepta nce. 500-509 (1999). (C) American Society for Histocompatibility and Immuno genetics, 1999. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.