Renal transplantation: cyclosporin A and antibody development after donor-specific transfusion

The survival of a one haplotype, mismatched living-related renal allograft is improved by donor specific transfusion (DST) before transplantation although the mechanism is unclear. The major risk of DST is sensitization of the recipient to donor lymphocytes precluding transplantation. Fifty prospective recipients of a living related transplant received either DST with cyclosporin A (group I) or DST alone (group II). Persistent donor sensitization precluding transplantation occurred in no patients in group I but in six in group II (P less than 0.05). Ten of 14 of those who developed donor cytotoxicity had previously been pregnant or received greater than or equal to 10 third party transfusions compared with 11 of 36 without such a history (P less than 0.05). Alloantibodies detected by a cellular ELISA developed following DST in 29% patients and antiidiotypic antibodies detected by the short antiidiotypic assay (SAA) in 36%; antiidiotypic activity occurred more frequently in those given cyclosporin A (P less than 0.02). Potentiating activity in the SAA which occurred in sera from six patients after DST had no influence on transplant outcome. Persistent sensitization, particularly in potential transplant recipients who have been pregnant or received many transfusions, can be prevented by giving cyclosporin A with DST; the mechanisms of this effect may be the induction of antiidiotypic antibodies. Both alloantibodies and antiidiotypic antibodies are induced by DST and may protect a subsequent renal allograft from the specific donor.