Transformation of lymphocytes from patients awaiting cadaver renal transplants

The response of lymphocytes from prospective kidney transplant recipients to inactivated donor lymphocytes (one-way mixed-lymphocyte reaction (M.L.R.)) and to phytohaemagglutinin (P.H.A. response) was measured before transplantation of cadaver kidney allografts in 78 and 75 cases respectively. M.L.R. results from patients whose grafts had failed within 3 or 6 months compared with M.L.R. results from patients whose grafts continued to function at the same times showed only slight differences irrespective of whether the data was expressed as a relative response or a mitotic index. Because of the large overlap in values, it was concluded that the M.L.R. test was of limited value in predicting graft prognosis. Pretransplantation P.H.A. responses from patients whose grafts failed within 3 or 6 months were significantly different from those shown by patients whose grafts remained functioning at those times. It is suggested that lymphocyte responsiveness to P.H.A. before transplantation may be of value in predicting the fate of renal allografts.