Cyclosporine versus tacrolimus in kidney transplantation: are there differences in nephrotoxicity?

Cyclosporine and tacrolimus, two calcineurin inhibitors, show different side effects and toxicities. The data concerning their nephrotoxicity are few and conflicting. A retrospective study was performed in 2 groups of renal transplant recipients treated with cyclosporine or tacrolimus to evaluate graft function and side effects. All patients had completed at least 6 months of follow-up before inclusion in the study. Group I included 10 patients who were converted from cyclosporine to tacrolimus, due to cosmetic problems or due to chronic graft dysfunction with creatinine values <3 mg/dL. After conversion, there was a significant reduction in creatinine values (from 2.43 +/- 1.21 to 1.86 +/- 0.72 mg/dL; P =.023) and an improvement in creatinine clearance (from 47.5 +/- 19.2 to 56.1 +/- 18.9 mL/min; P =.047). The lipid profile did not change, but there was a trend to better blood pressure control with less antihypertensive drugs. Group II compared 2 subgroups of patients receiving kidneys from the same donor, one treated with cyclosporine and the other with tacrolimus. Tacrolimus patients showed better renal function; namely, creatinine was 1.15 +/- 0.27 versus 1.44 +/- 0.33 mg/dL (P =.029) and creatinine clearance was 87.7 +/- 27.1 versus 60.3 +/- 25.9 mL/min (P =.043). Lipid and blood pressure values were not different between the 2 subgroups, but tacrolimus patients tended to need a lower number of antihypertensive medications. The incidence of de novo diabetes mellitus was approximately 20% among patients using tacrolimus. We concluded that tacrolimus may be less nephrotoxic than cyclosporine. Tacrolimus patients showed better graft function and easier blood pressure control, but a high incidence of posttransplantation diabetes mellitus.