New cellular and molecular immune pathways in ischemia/reperfusion injury

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a multi-factorial antigen-independent inflammatory condition that profoundly affects both early and long-term function of the allograft as suggested by both clinical and experimental data. In recent years, the acute phase of IRI has been increasingly viewed as part of the innate immune response. Identification of novel molecular pathways and new insights into the mechanisms of known mediators of IRI have established links among innate immunity, adaptive immune responses and organ regeneration, and thus long-term graft function. This review approaches these novel aspects of IRI in the context of solid organ transplantation, presenting data on new observations with kidney, liver and heart allografts.