Cytokines as Biomarkers for Renal Transplant Recipients: What is New?

Poor long-term graft survival remains a major problem in the field of organ transplantation. This could be attributed at least in part, to the lack of reliable biomarkers that allow for accurate, noninvasive monitoring of graft status and individualized immunosuppressive therapy. To this end, cytokines and chemokines have been investigated in a number of studies to evaluate their potential to serve as diagnostic and prognostic markers for kidney transplantation. Based on our review of recent publications, urinary chemokine C-C motif ligand 2, chemokine C-XC motif ligand (CXCL) 9, and CXCL10 are identified as potential novel biomarkers of renal graft outcomes. Although there are numerous considerations to accurately analyze cytokine and chemokine profiles of transplant patients, continuing efforts in this field of research hold promise for improving the long-term outcomes of renal transplant recipients.