Combined thermosensitive in situ gel with AMD3100 in sutureless technique improves the survival and function of kidney transplants in mice.

The mouse is an optimal animal model for kidney transplantation. Recent reports suggest that application of poloxamer 407, a thermosensitive in situ gel, during the sutureless technique significantly increases animal survival, compared to traditional methods. However, further improvement of this technology is greatly needed but remains unexplored. Here, we detected significant inflammation at the region of ureter anastomosis, after kidney transplantation using poloxamer 407. Since chemokines play a pivotal role during inflammation, we implanted an Alzet osmotic pump that gradually releases AMD3100 (a specific inhibitor of the binding of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) to its receptor, CXCR4) at the site of ureter anastomosis in mice that had undergone kidney transplantation. We found that AMD3100 significantly reduced local inflammation, significantly improved animal survival after kidney transplantation, and significantly improved kidney function. Together, these data suggest that inhibition of chemokine signaling at the site of ureter anastomosis may substantially improve animal survival after kidney transplantation through suppression of suturing-related inflammation.