ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Antibody-mediated response in solid organ transplantation is critical for graft dysfunction and loss. The use of immunosuppressive agents partially inhibits the B-lymphocyte response leading to a risk of acute and chronic antibody-mediated rejection. This study evaluated the impact of JAK3 and PKC inhibitors tofacitinib (Tofa) and sotrastaurin (STN), respectively, on B-cell proliferation, apoptosis, and activation in vitro. METHODS: Human B cells isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers were cocultured with CD40 ligand-transfected fibroblasts as feeder cells in the presence of interleukin (IL) 2, IL-10, and IL-21. The cocultures were treated with immunosuppressants Tofa, STN, and rapamycin (as a control), to analyze the proliferation and apoptosis of B cells by means of Cyquant and flow cytometry, respectively. CD27 and IgG staining were applied to evaluate whether treatments modified the activation of B cells. RESULTS: Tofa and STN were able to inhibit B-cell proliferation to the same extent as rapamycin, without inducing cell apoptosis. After 6 days in coculture with feeder cells, all B cells showed CD27 memory B-cell phenotype. None of the immunosuppressive treatments modified the proportion between class-switched and non-class-switched memory B cells observed in nontreated cultures. The high predominance of CD27+CD24+ phenotype was not modified by any immunosuppressive treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that Tofa and STN can suppress B-cell antibody responses to an extent similar to rapamycin, in vitro; therefore these compounds may be a useful therapy against antibody-mediated rejection in transplantation.
Subject(s)
B-Lymphocytes/drug effects , Janus Kinase 3/antagonists & inhibitors , Piperidines/pharmacology , Protein Kinase C/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Pyrimidines/pharmacology , Pyrroles/pharmacology , Quinazolines/pharmacology , Apoptosis/drug effects , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , CD40 Ligand/pharmacology , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Humans , Immunosuppressive Agents/pharmacology , Interleukin-10/pharmacology , Interleukin-2/pharmacology , Interleukins/pharmacokinetics , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/drug effects , Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects , Sirolimus/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by deposition of extracellular matrix. This is an irreversible process that leads to tubulointerstitial fibrosis and finally loss of kidney function. Wnt/ ß-catenin pathway was reported to be aberrantly activated in the progressive damage associated with chronic organ failure. Extensive renal ablation is an experimental model widely used to gain insight into the mechanisms responsible for the development of CKD, but it was not evaluated for Wnt/ ß-catenin pathway. This study aimed to elucidate if the rat 5/6 renal mass reduction model (RMR) is a good model for the Wnt/ ß-catenin activation and possible next modulation. RMR model was evaluated at 12 and 18 weeks after the surgery, when CKD is close to end-stage kidney disease demonstrated by molecular and histological studies. Wnt pathway components were analyzed at mRNA and protein level. Our results demonstrate that Wnt pathway is active by increase of ß-catenin at mRNA level and nuclear translocation in tubular epithelium as well as some target genes. These results validate the RMR model for future modulation of Wnt pathway, starting at shorter time after the surgery.
