FIBROSIS ASSOCIATED GENES AFTER RENAL TRANSPLANTATION. A COMPARISON OF CADAVERIC AND NON HEART BEATING DONORS.:

251 The main difference between cadaveric and non heart beating donors (NHBD) is in the degree of warm ischaemia. This study was designed to see if this affected the expression of fibrosis associated genes in the early post-transplant period, as these are thought to be involved in the development of chronic allograft nephropathy. A series of 20 cadaveric and 17 NHBD renal transplants, performed over the same time period were studied. Patients underwent ultrasound guided renal transplant biopsies at 1 week, 3 months and 6 months post-transplant. From each biopsy, at least two individual glomeruli were isolated under a microscope and placed in lysis buffer. mRNA was isolated and genes of interest were amplified by RT-PCR, then quantified in an ELISA system, compared to a known housekeeping gene, GAPDH. Delayed graft function was common in NHBD (82%) but only 15% in cadaveric transplants. Acute rejection rates were 29% and 20% respectively. Mean levels of mRNA expression are shown in the table, presented in arbitrary units. Groups were compared using a Mann-Whitney U test, and in general genes were expressed in similar amounts between the two groups.TableWe conclude that although the increased ischaemic injury in NHBD means a high rate of delayed graft function, it does not seem to affect the level of fibrosis associated gene expression compared with cadaveric donors.