Urinary chemokines and anti-inflammatory molecules in renal transplanted patients as potential biomarkers of graft function: a prospective study

Clinical- and histopathology-based scores are the limited predictors of allograft outcome. Thus, predictors of allograft survival still remain a challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the urinary levels of chemokines and anti-inflammatory molecules at 30, 90, and 300 days after renal transplantation and to further correlate these measurements to graft function. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urinary levels of MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-1 alpha/CCL3, RANTES/CCL5, IL-8/CXCL8, IP-10/CXCL10, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1, and receptor-2 were determined at 30, 90, and 300 days after renal transplantation in 22 patients. Transplanted patients were also divided according to the type of donor (living donor, LD, n = 13 or deceased donor, DD, n = 9). Urinary levels of all molecules, except MIP-1 alpha/CCL3, remained unchanged at 30, 90, and 300 days after transplantation in our 22 patients. MIP-1 alpha/CCL3 levels significantly reduced from 30 to 300 days and showed a negative correlation with GFR at 30 days. The comparison between LD and DD groups showed similar levels of all markers, except for MCP-1/CCL2, which presented higher values in LD than in DD at 30 days. sTNFR1 and MCP-1/CCL2 significantly reduced from 30 to 300 days in LD group, but only sTNFR2 concentrations at 30 days were negatively correlated with GFR at 300 days. On the other hand, in DD group, IL-1Ra concentrations at 30 and at 90 days were positively correlated with GFR at 300 days. Urinary chemokine and anti-inflammatory molecules measurements may be a promising tool in the follow-up of renal transplanted patients.