Influence of recipient and donor IL-10, TNFA and INFG genotypes on the incidence of acute renal allograft rejection

Objective Transplantation of renal grafts is an established treatment for renal failure in a variety of medical conditions. Acute allograft rejection remains an important cause of morbidity after kidney transplantation, and has been shown to be a crucial determinant of long-term graft function. Although rejection is mediated by recipient lymphocytes, both donor and recipient factors contribute to the local environment that influences the severity of rejection response. Because cytokines are the main components of immune responses, we evaluate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of several cytokine genes that may influence the production of a given cytokine and therefore the features of immune reactions. Material and Methods The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the cytokine gene polymorphism of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines on the development of acute allograft rejection, which could be used in pretransplant patient assessment. Three SNPs including IL-10 (−1082 G/A), TNFA (−308 G/A), and INFG (+874 T/A) were analyzed in 46 patients with acute allograft rejection, 54 patients with stable graft function and their kidney donors by PCR-ARMS method. Results We are unable to find statistically significant association between any of the studies polymorphisms and clinical outcomes. Conclusion We have found no evidence to suggest that either recipient or donor cytokines polymorphisms determine the incidence of acute rejection after renal transplantation. Our observation, however, is based on few cases, and this may mask a possible favorable effect. It is recommended that several functionally related genes should be tested in similar studies, since this approach has a higher chance to detect genetic risk factors than the screening of single genetic variants.