Detection Of Microlymphatic Vessels In Kidney Allograft And Its Relationship With Transplant Rejection

Objective: To investigate the expression level of lymphatic vessels in kidney grafts from a group of Chinese renal transplant recipients and assess its role in the pathogenesis of transplant rejection.Methods: Immunohistochemistry (SP)was imployed with mice-anti-human podoplanin monoclonal antibody, which specifically binds podoplanin on the surface of lymphatic endothelials, to detect the expression level of lymphatic vessels on histological sections of kidney grafts or biopies from 45 Chinese renal transplant recipients( 15 with CR, 15 with AR and 15 normal controls). LVD was depicted for each patient as a measure of lymphatic vessel expression level, and compared for diverse clinical and pathological findings in order to determine its relationship with allo-transplant rejection.Result :(1)kidney graft with CR demonstrated significant higher LVD than those diagnosed as AR and normal controls(p<0.001). lymphatic vessels in CR grafts also tended to be greater in their diameter and have more frequent presence under microscopic fields. (2). neoangiogenesis of lymphatic vessels does not appear to increase over time in kidney graft that functions optimally. (3). LVD increased significantly with the banff classification of CR, as was indicated by higher level of LVD in a higher grade biopsy.Conclusion : (1)Podoplanin is a specific lymphatic vessel marker ; (2)lymphatic vessels expression was substantially up-regulated in kidney grafts with CR, which may then function as an additional histological evaluation index for CR.(3) lymphatic vessels does not appear to increase over time in kidney graft that functions optimally, suggesting that neoangiogenesis of lymphatic vessels is not an inevitable process for kidney allograft. . (3) Microlymphatic vessel hyperplasia is supposed to perform a significant role in starting and developing of the chronic rejection ..