Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Reticuloendothelial function in human renal allograft recipients.

G Lahnborg, L Berghem, T Ahlgren

    Transplantation
    |August 1, 1979
    PubMed
    Summary

    This study looked at how the reticuloendothelial system (RES) functions in patients who received kidney transplants. The RES is responsible for clearing substances from the blood and processing metabolites. The researchers measured RES activity before and after transplantation using a labeled albumin test. They found that RES function was significantly reduced in the first few months after surgery but improved over time. The most severe suppression was linked to high-dose steroids and antilymphocyte globulin. Azathioprine did not affect RES function. The study suggests that RES activity recovers gradually, especially after one year. The findings indicate that immunosuppressive therapy has a variable impact on RES function, with some components contributing more to suppression than others.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    SUCCESSFUL ORTHOTOPIC TRANSPLANTATION OF LIVER HOMOGRAFTS AFTER EIGHT TO TWENTY-FIVE HOURS PRESERVATION.

    Surgical forum·2011
    Same author

    Production of a Standardized Anti-Lymphocyte Globulin.

    Behring Institute Mitteilungen·2010
    Same author

    Forty years of liver transplantation: personal recollections.

    Transplantation proceedings·2008
    Same author

    New immunosuppressive drugs and their role in the prevention of islet xenograft rejection.

    BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy·2007
    Same author

    Prospects in xenotransplantation: a personal view.

    Transplantation proceedings·2007
    Same author

    The global alliance for transplantation.

    Transplantation proceedings·2006

    Area of Science:

    • Transplant immunology within nephrology
    • Pharmacological effects on reticuloendothelial system
    • Renal failure treatment outcomes

    Background:

    Prior research has shown that the reticuloendothelial system (RES) plays a role in clearing substances from the bloodstream and processing metabolites. It was already known that chronic renal failure impacts RES function. However, no prior work had resolved how immunosuppressive therapies affect RES activity in transplant recipients. That uncertainty drove investigation into whether post-transplant immunosuppression alters RES clearance and metabolism. This gap motivated the study of RES function in patients before and after kidney transplantation. The RES's role in handling microaggregated albumin had been studied in other contexts but not in transplant settings. No prior work had resolved the timeline of RES recovery after surgery. The need to assess long-term RES function in transplant patients was clear from existing literature. The study aimed to address this by focusing on RES activity in renal allograft recipients.

    Purpose Of The Study:

    Keywords:
    Reticuloendothelial systemRenal transplantationImmunosuppressive therapyPhagocytic activity

    Frequently Asked Questions

    The main finding is that RES function is significantly depressed immediately after transplantation but recovers over time, especially after 1 year.

    High-dose steroids and antilymphocyte globulin were associated with early suppression of RES activity.

    The study found no significant effect of azathioprine on RES clearance or metabolism in transplant recipients.

    Phagocytic recovery was correlated with the total steroid dose administered over the prior 12 months.

    Related Experiment Videos

    The study aimed to evaluate reticuloendothelial function in human renal allograft recipients. It sought to determine how immunosuppressive therapy affects RES clearance and metabolism. The specific problem was the lack of data on RES function in transplant patients at various post-transplant intervals. The motivation was to understand the impact of triple immunosuppressive regimens on RES activity. Researchers wanted to assess whether RES function recovers over time after transplantation. The study also aimed to identify which components of the immunosuppressive regimen affect RES function. The focus was on comparing RES activity before and after surgery. The goal was to clarify the timeline and extent of RES recovery in transplant recipients.

    Main Methods:

    The study used plasma clearance rates of 125I-labelled microaggregated human serum albumin to assess RES function. Researchers measured the increase in plasma metabolites of the test substance to evaluate RES metabolism. The study included patients with chronic renal failure and renal transplant recipients. Data collection occurred at multiple post-transplant intervals: 1–12 days, 1–4 months, and 6–9 months. Pre-transplant and post-transplant measurements were compared to assess changes in RES activity. The study tracked RES function in 1–3-year survivors to evaluate long-term recovery. The RES's phagocytic and metabolic functions were analyzed separately. The impact of cumulative steroid doses on RES recovery was also examined.

    Main Results:

    The RES clearance of microaggregated albumin was significantly reduced in transplant recipients at 1–12 days (P < 0.001), 1–4 months (P < 0.02), and 6–9 months (P < 0.001) post-transplantation. Patients tested 1–3 years after surgery showed normal RES phagocytosis. Metabolic function was impaired in all groups except the 1–4 month post-transplant group. The most severe depression in RES function occurred immediately after surgery. Antilymphocyte globulin and high-dose steroids were likely responsible for early RES suppression. Phagocytic recovery was correlated with cumulative steroid doses over 12 months. Azathioprine had no detectable effect on RES function. The findings suggest a gradual recovery of RES activity after the initial post-transplant period.

    Conclusions:

    The authors proposed that RES function is significantly depressed immediately after renal transplantation. They suggested that antilymphocyte globulin and high-dose steroids contribute to this suppression. The study indicated that RES function recovers over time, particularly after 1 year post-transplant. Phagocytic recovery was linked to steroid dosage, not azathioprine. The authors proposed that RES function normalizes in long-term transplant survivors. The findings suggest that immunosuppressive regimens have variable effects on RES activity. The study supports the idea that RES recovery is a gradual process. The authors emphasized the need to monitor RES function in transplant patients.

    RES phagocytosis was normal in patients 1–3 years post-transplantation.

    The authors proposed that RES function recovers over time but is initially suppressed by immunosuppressive therapy.