Department head and Assoc prof in Immunology Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Introduction/Rationale: Inflammatory cytokines play a pivotal role in immune regulation and are increasingly recognized as reliable biomarkers for monitoring immune responses and graft function after kidney transplantation.
Methods: In this study, blood samples were collected from 30 kidney transplant recipients at the First Central Hospital of Mongolia. Thirteen cytokines were quantified using flow cytometry. Serum creatinine and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were obtained from the hospital’s internal database. Based on changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and CRP levels, patients were stratified into subgroups, and cytokine profiles were analyzed accordingly.
Results: Serum concentrations of sTREM-1, sTNF-RI, and CX3CL1 showed significant differences between post-transplant days 7 and 30 (p < 0.05). The cytokine ratios sCD40L/PTX3 (95% sensitivity, 66% specificity) and sCD40L/sTNF-RI (87% sensitivity, 83% specificity) on day 7 predicted CRP elevation by day 30. Meanwhile, the ratios sCD40L/sRAGE (80% sensitivity, 60% specificity) and sCD40L/CX3CL1 (80% sensitivity, 66% specificity) were associated with preserved eGFR.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that specific cytokine ratios measured early after transplantation may serve as potential predictive markers for post-transplant inflammation and renal function outcomes.
