1. Maintenance immunosuppressive therapy with everolimus preserves humoral immune responses.
- Author
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Struijk GH, Minnee RC, Koch SD, Zwinderman AH, van Donselaar-van der Pant KA, Idu MM, ten Berge IJ, and Bemelman FJ
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, B-Lymphocytes drug effects, B-Lymphocytes immunology, Cells, Cultured, Cyclosporine therapeutic use, Cytokines metabolism, Drug Therapy, Combination, Everolimus, Female, Humans, Immunity, Cellular drug effects, Immunoglobulin G blood, Male, Middle Aged, Mycophenolic Acid therapeutic use, Netherlands, Prednisolone therapeutic use, Prospective Studies, Sirolimus therapeutic use, T-Lymphocytes drug effects, T-Lymphocytes immunology, Time Factors, Treatment Outcome, Adjuvants, Immunologic administration & dosage, Hemocyanins administration & dosage, Immunity, Humoral drug effects, Immunosuppressive Agents therapeutic use, Kidney Transplantation, Pneumococcal Vaccines administration & dosage, Sirolimus analogs & derivatives, Tetanus Toxoid administration & dosage
- Abstract
While the guidelines for vaccination in renal transplant recipients recommend the use of pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPS) and tetanus toxoid (TT), their efficacy in immunocompromised renal transplant recipients is not known. Here we tested the effect of everolimus on immune responses after vaccination by measuring the capacity of 36 stable renal transplant recipients to mount cellular and humoral responses after vaccination. Twelve patients in each treatment arm received immunosuppressive therapy consisting of prednisolone (P) plus cyclosporine (CsA), mycophenolate sodium (MPA), or everolimus. Patients were vaccinated with the T-cell-dependent antigens immunocyanin and TT, and the T-cell-independent PPS. Treatment with CsA partially inhibited and MPA completely abolished the capacity to mount a primary humoral response, whereas everolimus left this largely intact. Recall responses were inhibited by MPA only. All drug combinations inhibited cellular responses against TT. In patients treated with MPA, B-cell numbers were severely reduced. Thus, combined with P, treatment with MPA completely disturbed primary and secondary humoral responses. Everolimus or CsA allowed the boosting of T-cell-dependent and -independent secondary humoral responses. Treatment with everolimus allowed a primary response.
- Published
- 2010
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