Short-term fasting before living kidney donation has an immune-modulatory effect

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Metabolic Health
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Short-term fasting (STF) is a dietary intervention that reduces calorie intake without causing malnutrition.
• STF aims to enhance systemic resilience against acute stressors like surgery and ischemia-reperfusion injury.
• Previous studies suggest STF influences circulating immune cell numbers and phenotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of STF on the abundance and phenotype of various immune cell populations.
• To determine how STF affects T cells, B cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and myeloid cells.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the FAST clinical trial, including 30 living kidney donors randomized to STF or control groups.
• Employed flow cytometry on peripheral blood mononuclear cells to analyze immune cell phenotyping.
• Examined T cells, B cells, DCs, and myeloid cells for presence and activation status using three distinct panels.

Main Results:

• STF significantly altered immune cell profiles, decreasing T cell abundance and activation, including regulatory T cells (Tregs).
• Observed an increased presence of naive B cells and an elevation in type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s).
• A reduction in central memory T cells was noted, alongside significant differences in glucose, insulin, and beta-hydroxybutyrate levels between groups.

Conclusions:

• STF induces significant changes in B cells, T cells, and DCs, leaning towards less specialized lymphocytes.
• The observed immunological shifts suggest a potential arrest in B and T cell development.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the clinical implications and significance of these fasting-induced immune cell alterations.