Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of different T lymphocyte polyclonal antibodies in renal transplantation from donor kidney of organ donation after citizen's death. Methods Clinical data of 691 donors and recipients undergoing renal transplantation from donor kidney of organ donation after citizen's death were retrospectively analyzed. According to different T lymphocyte polyclonal antibodies used for induction, all recipients were divided into the rabbit anti human T lymphocyte immunoglobulin (rALG) group (n=414) and rabbit anti human thymocyte immunoglobulin (rATG) group (n=277). The recovery of renal graft function in recipients of the two groups were collected, including the incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) and acute rejection (AR), and the changes of serum creatinine level after renal transplantation. The 1-year survival rate of the recipients and renal grafts was collected. The incidence of adverse effects within 1 year after operation was calculated. According to the DGF risk score of donors, all recipients were divided into 5 groups. The use proportion of rALG and rATG in the recipients of each group was calculated. Results The incidence of DGF in the recipients of rALG and rATG groups was 14.5% (60/414) and 11.9% (33/277), respectively. The duration of DGF in the recipients of rALG and rATG groups was (7±4) d and (12±7) d respectively, with no statistically significant difference between two groups (P>0.05). The incidence of AR in the rALG group was 7.5% (31/414), significantly higher than 4.0% (11/277) in the rATG group (P<0.05). The serum creatinine levels of recipients within 6 months after renal transplantation tended to gradually decline in both groups. In renal transplantation for donor kidney with a DGF risk score of 0-15, the use proportion of rALG was significantly higher than that of rATG. However, the use proportion of rATG was significantly higher than that of rALG in renal transplantation for donor kidney with a DGF risk score over 16 (P<0.05). The 1-year survival rates of the recipients and renal grafts in the rALG and rATG groups were 99.8% and 99.6%, 98.1% and 98.2%, respectively. There was no significant difference between two groups (both P>0.05). The incidence of acute pulmonary edema and leukopenia in the recipients of rATG group was significantly higher than that in the rALG group (both P<0.05). Conclusions Both rALG and rATG can effectively reduce the incidence of DGF and AR and achieve good clinical efficacy after renal transplantation from donor kidney of organ donation after citizen's death. The incidence of leukopenia and acute pulmonary edema induced by rATG is higher than that by rALG in the renal transplant recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]