Effectiveness of Perioperative Immunologic Markers Monitoring for Predicting Early Acute Cellular Rejection After Living Donor Liver Transplantation

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to determine whether perioperative immunologic markers monitoring could predict early acute cellular rejection (ACR) after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Materials and methods From September 2010 to June 2013, a total of 172 patients underwent LDLT at our transplant center. Of them, 26 patients were excluded because of infection. We retrospectively reviewed the remaining 146 patients. CD4 lymphocyte activity, T cell subsets test, and serum cytokine panel were checked on the day before transplantation and at 20 days after transplantation. These patients were divided into 3 groups: 1. normal liver function test (LFT) group; 2. increased LFT without rejection group; and 3. early ACR group. We excluded the increased LFT without rejection group in order to rule out multiple factors influencing immunologic factors. Results CD4 lymphocyte activity (P = .004) was significantly increased while CD4+/CD25+/FOXP3+ cells (P  Conclusion Our results suggest that IL-6 and IL-17 levels are associated with early ACR in LDLT patients. However, whether monitoring perioperative immunologic markers could predict early ACR remains unclear. Further prospective studies are needed to reach a definite conclusion.