[Long-term therapeutic effect of Zenapax after renal transplantation]

To determine whether there was any lingering effect after discontinuing Zenapax in renal transplantation and investigate there was any alternative immunity-regulating pathway of Zenapax other than IL-2/IL-2R.

Thirty patients of renal transplantation were divided into 2 groups. One group of 15 received 2 dosages of induction therapy of Zenapax and another 15 regular immunosuppressive therapy. IL-2, IL-10, STAT5 and CD40L were tested followed up at 2 hours pre-transplantation, 1, 3 and 6 months post-transplantation.

The levels of IL-2 and STAT had no difference between the induction group and the control group. The level of IL-10 of induction group (59.4 +/- 7.7) ng/L was obviously higher than control group (36.8 +/- 8.4) ng/L at 3 months post-transplantation. CD40L level of induction group (10.6 +/- 3.6) was lower than control group (35.6 +/- 8.4) at 1 month post-transplantation.

Zenapax can reduce B-cell-mediated humoral immunity at 1 month post-transplantation through CD40L pathway.