Monocyte procoagulant activity and plasminogen activator. Role in human renal allograft rejection.

Currently the mechanism of renal allograft rejection is not well understood. This study was designed to determine whether induction of monocyte procoagulant activity (MCPA) is important in the pathogenesis of renal allograft rejection. The MPCA assay was performed utilizing a one stage clotting assay both in normal and in factor-VII-deficient plasma. There was no increase in spontaneous MPCA in 20 patients with endstage renal failure and in 10 patients following abdominal or orthopedic operation, as compared with 20 normal controls. MPCA was assessed daily in 18 patients who had received renal allografts. Rejection episodes (RE) were predicted on the basis of persistent elevation in MPCA as compared with pretransplant levels. Rejection was diagnosed clinically and treated on the basis of standard criteria. Treated RE were compared with those predicted by elevated MPCA, and 3 patients were assessed as having no RE by MPCA and by standard criteria. In 8 RE, MPCA correlated temporally with RE (same day) when compared with standard criteria. In 12 RE, MPCA was predictive of rejection preceding standard criteria by at least 24 hr. There were 7 false-positive predictions on the basis of MPCA; however, there was only 1 false negative. MPCA was shown to be a prothrombinase by its dependence only on prothrombin and fibrinogen for full activity. MPCA may be important in the pathogenesis of allograft rejection, and additionally it may be a useful adjunct in the clinical management of this disease.