The pharmacological efficacy of mycophenolic acid before and after renal transplantation as estimated by the lymphocyte immunosuppressant sensitivity test (LIST)

The IMBG Test for Evaluating the Pharmacodynamic Response to Immunosuppressive Therapy in Kidney Transplant Patients: Current Evidence and Future Applications

Immunosuppressive drugs are widely used to prevent rejection after kidney transplantation. However, the pharmacological response to a given immunosuppressant can vary markedly between individuals, with some showing poor treatment responses and/or experiencing serious side effects. There is an unmet need for diagnostic tools that allow clinicians to individually tailor immunosuppressive therapy to a patient’s immunological profile. The Immunobiogram (IMBG) is a novel blood-based in vitro diagnostic test that provides a pharmacodynamic readout of the immune response of individual patients to a range of immunosuppressants commonly used in kidney transplant recipients. Here, we discuss the current approaches used to measure the pharmacodynamic responses of individual patients to specific immunosuppressive drugs in vitro, which can then be correlated with patient’s clinical outcomes. We also describe the procedure of the IMBG assay, and summarize the results obtained using the IMBG in different kidney transplant populations. Finally, we outline future directions and other novel applications of the IMBG, both in kidney transplant patients and other autoimmune diseases.

Peripheral Lymphocyte Response to Mycophenolic Acid In Vitro and Incidence of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Renal Transplantation

The lymphocyte immunosuppressant sensitivity test (LIST) with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay procedure has been used to predict the pharmacological efficacy of immunosuppressive agents to prevent acute rejection episodes for renal transplant recipients. In this study, mycophenolic acid (MPA) pharmacological efficacies were evaluated by LIST at both prior to and just after renal transplantation. We compared the efficacies to the clinical outcome of these recipients. MPA's pharmacological efficacy was evaluated by LIST not only before the operation but also at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after transplantation in 16 renal transplant recipients. These recipients were divided into high- and low-sensitivity groups according to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) sensitivity to MPA in vitro. The MPA sensitivities were compared to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and acute rejection episodes in these recipients under MPA immunosuppressive therapy. The rate of CMV infection episodes in the low-MPA pharmacological efficacy group categorized at 2 weeks after renal transplantation was 5/6 (83.3%), which was significantly higher than the rate of 1/10 (10.0%) (p < 0.01) in the high-MPA sensitivity group. However, the MPA pharmacological efficacy evaluated both before and after transplantation had no relationship with the incidence of rejection episodes. These findings suggest that the MPA pharmacological efficacy evaluated by LIST at 2 weeks after operation is a useful biomarker for predicting the following occurrence of CMV infection episodes in renal transplant recipients.

Clinical Significance of the Pharmacological Efficacy of Tacrolimus Estimated by the Lymphocyte Immunosuppressant Sensitivity Test (LIST) Before and After Renal Transplantation

The lymphocyte immunosuppressant sensitivity test (LIST) with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay procedure can predict the pharmacological efficacy of immunosuppressive agents. A previous study reported the pharmacological efficacy of tacrolimus evaluated by LIST just before renal transplantation significantly correlated with the incidence of acute rejection episodes. However, the pharmacological efficacy of tacrolimus has not been estimated after renal transplantation. Therefore, the present study evaluated the pharmacological efficacy of tacrolimus by LIST using the MTT assay procedure before and 1, 3, and 12 months after transplantation in 17 renal transplant recipients that received tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive therapy. The tacrolimus pharmacological efficacies before and after the procedure were also compared with incidence of acute rejection and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection episodes. The individual values of tacrolimus 50% inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation (IC50) varied widely before transplantation, and the mean value of the IC50 was 126.4 ± 337.7 ng/ml. The patients were divided into two groups according to the tacrolimus IC50 values evaluated before transplantation. The rate of acute rejection episodes in the tacrolimus high-sensitivity group was significantly lower than that in the tacrolimus low-sensitivity group (p = 0.005). The tacrolimus IC50 deviation between patients expanded further at one and three months after surgery. However, the sensitivity deviation almost converged at 1 year after surgery. Moreover, the pharmacological efficacy of tacrolimus evaluated at 1, 3, and 12 months after transplantation did not significantly correlate with the incidence of acute rejection episodes. The pharmacological efficacies of tacrolimus evaluated at both before and after surgery were not significantly correlated with the episodes of CMV infection. These findings suggest that the pharmacological efficacy of tacrolimus evaluated with LIST before surgery is a useful biomarker for predicting the occurrence of acute allograft rejection in renal transplantation.