BACKGROUND: Graft rejection is a major complication of lung transplantation. No serological marker of rejection is in common use. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is highly expressed in the lung and produced after acute lung injury; serum concentrations increase in inflammatory lung diseases. We investigated whether HGF could be an accurate marker for prediction of lung-graft rejection. METHODS: Serum concentrations of HGF were measured by ELISA in 109 patients who had undergone lung transplantation (65 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; 23 for cystic fibrosis; 21 for idiopathic lung fibrosis), comparing those who had no subsequent events and those with episodes of infection or rejection, as well as in 12 healthy controls. FINDINGS: The mean baseline serum HGF concentration was 645 ng/L (SD 259) in controls and 1358 ng/L (603) in the patients before transplantation. After transplantation the mean concentration in patients with no events was 1147 ng/L (510) compared with 1559 ng/L (323) in patients with infection (p=0.001 vs controls; change from pretransplant value not significant). Patients with rejection had significantly higher concentrations than all other groups (3972 ng/L [1463], p<0.0001). Logistic regression identified HGF as a predictor for lung graft rejection (p=0.012). After steroid treatment, HGF concentrations returned almost to the preoperative values within 3 days. INTERPRETATION: HGF might be a marker for graft rejection in lung transplantation. A potential link between viral infection, mainly cytomegalovirus, and HGF, however, remains to be investigated.
BACKGROUND: Graft rejection is a major complication of lung transplantation. No serological marker of rejection is in common use. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is highly expressed in the lung and produced after acute lung injury; serum concentrations increase in inflammatory lung diseases. We investigated whether HGF could be an accurate marker for prediction of lung-graft rejection. METHODS: Serum concentrations of HGF were measured by ELISA in 109 patients who had undergone lung transplantation (65 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; 23 for cystic fibrosis; 21 for idiopathic lung fibrosis), comparing those who had no subsequent events and those with episodes of infection or rejection, as well as in 12 healthy controls. FINDINGS: The mean baseline serum HGF concentration was 645 ng/L (SD 259) in controls and 1358 ng/L (603) in the patients before transplantation. After transplantation the mean concentration in patients with no events was 1147 ng/L (510) compared with 1559 ng/L (323) in patients with infection (p=0.001 vs controls; change from pretransplant value not significant). Patients with rejection had significantly higher concentrations than all other groups (3972 ng/L [1463], p<0.0001). Logistic regression identified HGF as a predictor for lung graft rejection (p=0.012). After steroid treatment, HGF concentrations returned almost to the preoperative values within 3 days. INTERPRETATION:HGF might be a marker for graft rejection in lung transplantation. A potential link between viral infection, mainly cytomegalovirus, and HGF, however, remains to be investigated.
Authors: S Samuel Weigt; Ariss DerHovanessian; W Dean Wallace; Joseph P Lynch; John A Belperio Journal: Semin Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2013-07-02 Impact factor: 3.119
Authors: H Kramer; J W G van Putten; W J Post; H M van Dullemen; A H H Bongaerts; J Pruim; A J H Suurmeijer; T J Klinkenberg; H Groen; H J M Groen Journal: Thorax Date: 2004-07 Impact factor: 9.139
Authors: Marcel Bonay; Anne Boutten; Véronique Leçon-Malas; Joëlle Marchal; Paul Soler; Michel Fournier; Guy Leseche; Monique Dehoux; Bruno Crestani Journal: BMC Pulm Med Date: 2005-10-10 Impact factor: 3.317