Intra-Renal Cytokine Measurement Detected During Kidney Allograft Biopsies Portend Severity of Histological Injury

N. Leca, S. Anderson, K. Muczynski.

Division of Nephrology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Meeting: 2015 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: 184

Keywords: Biopsy, FACS analysis, Kidney transplantation, Rejection

Session Information

Session Name: Concurrent Session: Immune Monitoring I

Session Type: Concurrent Session

Date: Monday, May 4, 2015

Session Time: 2:15pm-3:45pm

Presentation Time: 3:27pm-3:39pm

Location: Room 120-ABC

Histological changes observed on renal allograft biopsies, although considered the current standard for evaluation of allograft injury, lack specificity and disease activity assessment. We devised a protocol for reducing a small fragment of a renal biopsy (3-5mm) to cell suspensions for multicolor flow cytometry and measurement of secreted cytokines. Intra-renal cytokines are measured with Milliplex high sensitivity bead capture assay which uses Luminex technology.

Intra-renal cytokines were then measured in over 200 allograft renal biopsies and normalized to tissue volume. Intra-renal cytokine levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 were compared in transplanted kidneys with normal histology and those with rejection of variable degrees of severity. Rejection and its severity were associated with elevated levels of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, and with greater number of CD45+ leukocytes in the biopsy.


	IL4	IL6	IL8	IL10	%CD45
Normal vs Rejection	.81	<.001	<.001	<.001	<.001
Mild vs Moderate Rejection	.468	<.001	.011	.007	<.001

p values Mann-Whitney Rank Sum testThe figure below shows cytokine levels in allograft biopsies with unremarkable histology (open circles), mild rejection (gray squares) and moderate to severe rejection (black triangles). Serial biopsies from the same patients indicate that cytokine levels can be used to assess response to therapy (not shown).

Intra-renal cytokines using only a fragment of a core allograft biopsy can be reliably measured and may provide additional information with potential for refining the current histological assessment.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Leca N, Anderson S, Muczynski K. Intra-Renal Cytokine Measurement Detected During Kidney Allograft Biopsies Portend Severity of Histological Injury [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2015; 15 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/intra-renal-cytokine-measurement-detected-during-kidney-allograft-biopsies-portend-severity-of-histological-injury/. Accessed May 11, 2025.

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