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Pharmacodynamic monitoring of cyclosporine A by NFAT‐regulated gene expression and the relationship with infectious complications in pediatric renal transplant recipients
Author(s) -
Billing Heiko,
Giese Thomas,
Sommerer Claudia,
Zeier Martin,
Feneberg Reinhard,
Meuer Stefan,
Tönshoff Burkhard
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
pediatric transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.457
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1399-3046
pISSN - 1397-3142
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3046.2010.01354.x
Subject(s) - medicine , nfat , pharmacodynamics , calcineurin , pharmacokinetics , tacrolimus , population , transplantation , ciclosporin , pharmacology , immunology , environmental health
Billing H, Giese T, Sommerer C, Zeier M, Feneberg R, Meuer S, Tönshoff B. Pharmacodynamic monitoring of cyclosporine A by NFAT‐regulated gene expression and the relationship with infectious complications in pediatric renal transplant recipients.
Pediatr Transplantation 2010: 14:844–851. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Pharmacokinetic monitoring of CsA is unsatisfactory, because at comparable CsA blood concentrations, the frequency and severity of adverse effects vary considerably among patients. We have therefore recently developed a precise, reliable, and robust whole‐blood pharmacodynamic assay that measures the suppression of CsA‐target genes in T lymphocytes. Because of the different characteristics of CsA pharmacokinetics in children and the higher propensity for infectious complications, this assay requires validation in the pediatric patient population. We therefore quantified in a prospective study of 45 pediatric renal transplant recipients the residual expression of NFAT‐regulated genes in lymphocytes by RT‐PCR and correlated these findings with the frequency of recurrent infections in the maintenance period post‐transplant. Patients with recurrent infections showed a significantly stronger inhibition of NFAT‐regulated gene expression (18.2%) than patients without recurrent infections (31.7%; p = 0.012). This difference was specific, because various PK parameters of CsA and the concomitant immunosuppressive therapy were comparable between patients. Multivariate regression analysis showed that patient age and residual NFAT‐regulated gene expression were the only independent determinants of recurrent infections. By ROC curve analysis, a cutoff value of 23% residual NFAT‐regulated gene expression had the highest sensitivity (71.1%) and specificity (65.4%) for the discrimination of patients with and without recurrent infections. Pharmacodynamic monitoring of CsA by measurement of residual NFAT‐regulated gene expression in T lymphocytes has the potential to identify over‐immunosuppressed pediatric renal transplant recipients and is therefore a useful tool for the optimization of CsA therapy.