Open AccessDonor‐specific CTL frequencies in peripheral blood in relation to graft vascular disease after clinical heart transplantation
Author(s) -
Besouw N. M.,
Daane C. R.,
Kuiper P.,
Gelder T.,
Mochtar B.,
Balk A. H. M. M.,
Vaessen L. M. B.,
Weimar W.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
transplant international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.998
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1432-2277
pISSN - 0934-0874
DOI - 10.1111/j.1432-2277.1998.tb01157.x
Subject(s) - ctl* , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , medicine , transplantation , immunology , cytokine , cytotoxic t cell , heart transplantation , immune system , pathology , biology , cd8 , in vitro , biochemistry
Cellular mechanisms may play a role in the development of graft vascular disease (GVD). We previously demonstrated that GVD correlated with an increase of donor‐specific T‐helper 1 cytokine production by graft‐infiltrating lymphocytes but not by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). These T‐helper 1 cytokines aid the generation of cytotoxic T‐lymphocytes (CTL). In the present report, we investigated whether there is a relationship between the frequency of donor‐specific CTL precursors (pCTL) in PBMC and the development of GVD. We tested PBMC samples of five patients with GVD and five patients without GVD in the periods 3–6 months, 1 year, and 3 years after heart transplantation. At all time points, GVD was not related to the number of pCTL. In conclusion, donor‐specific cellular tests in peripheral blood could not be related to GVD. Apparently, donor‐specific reactions associated with the induction of GVD can only be monitored in the graft.