Conversion from calcineurin inhibitors to mTOR inhibitors stabilizes diabetic and hypertensive nephropathy after liver transplant

Side Effects of Immunosuppressant Drugs After Liver Transplant

Liver transplantation (LT) is the standard of care for both end-stage liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Side effects of the main used immunosuppressive drugs have a noteworthy impact on the long-term outcome of LT recipients. Consequently, to achieve a balance between optimal immunosuppression and minimal side effects is a cornerstone of the post-LT period. Today, there are no validated markers for overimmunosuppression and underimmunosuppression, only a few drugs have therapeutic drug monitoring, and immunosuppression regimens vary from center to center and from country to country. Currently, there are many drugs with different efficacy and safety profiles. Using different agents permits a decrease in the dosage and minimizes the toxicities. A small subset of recipients achieves immunotolerance with the chance to stop immunosuppressive therapy. This article focuses on the side effects of immunosuppressive drugs, which significantly impact long-term outcomes for LT recipients. The primary aim is to highlight the balance between achieving effective immunosuppression and minimizing adverse effects, emphasizing the role of personalized therapeutic strategies. Moreover, this review evaluates the mechanisms of action and specific complications associated with immunosuppressive agents. Finally, special attention is given to strategies for reducing immunosuppressive burdens, improving patient quality of life, and identifying immunotolerant individuals.

Understanding the relationship between HCV infection and progression of kidney disease

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause a range of kidney diseases. HCV is the primary cause of mixed cryoglobulinaemia, which leads to cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis and cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis (GN). Patients with acute cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis often exhibit acute kidney disease due to HCV infection, which typically progresses to acute kidney injury (AKI). HCV also increases the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the likelihood of developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Currently, direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) can be used to treat kidney disease at different stages. This review focuses on key findings regarding HCV and kidney disease, discusses the impact of DAAs, and highlights the need for further research and treatment.

Fasting and rapamycin: diabetes versus benevolent glucose intolerance

Rapamycin (Sirolimus) slows aging, extends life span, and prevents age-related diseases, including diabetic complications such as retinopathy. Puzzlingly, rapamycin can induce insulin sensitivity, but may also induce insulin resistance or glucose intolerance without insulin resistance. This mirrors the effect of fasting and very low calorie diets, which improve insulin sensitivity and reverse type 2 diabetes, but also can cause a form of glucose intolerance known as benevolent pseudo-diabetes. There is no indication that starvation (benevolent) pseudo-diabetes is detrimental. By contrast, it is associated with better health and life extension. In transplant patients, a weak association between rapamycin/everolimus use and hyperglycemia is mostly due to a drug interaction with calcineurin inhibitors. When it occurs in cancer patients, the hyperglycemia is mild and reversible. No hyperglycemic effects of rapamycin/everolimus have been detected in healthy people. For antiaging purposes, rapamycin/everolimus can be administrated intermittently (e.g., once a week) in combination with intermittent carbohydrate restriction, physical exercise, and metformin.

Protective effects of tacrolimus on podocytes in early diabetic nephropathy in rats

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of tacrolimus on early podocyte damage in rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN). A total of 38 normal male Sprague‑Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: Normal control group (group N; n=8), DN group (n=10), tacrolimus (FK506) treatment group (group F; n=10), benazepril (Lotensin) treatment group (group L; n=10). The rats in groups DN, F and L were administered with streptozotocin (STZ; 60 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection to establish the diabetic rat model. After 4 weeks, the diabetic rat model was established, and rats in the different groups were administered intragrastically with the respective drugs. Blood glucose (BS), body weight (BW) and 24‑h urine protein were detected every 4 weeks, serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and kidney weight/body weight (KW/BW) were measured at the end of the 8 weeks of drug treatment. Renal pathological changes were observed under a light microscope and electron microscope. Expression of nephrin, which is a podocyte‑specific marker, was detected using western blot analysis. The results showed that the levels of SCr, BUN, KW/BW and 24‑h urine protein in groups D, F and L were significantly higher, compared with those in group N (P<0.05). No significant differences were found between groups F and L for the above indicators, with the exception of BS. However, all indices were significantly lower, compared with those in group DN (P<0.05). Renal pathological expression was normal in group N under light microscopy. There were significant increases in the glomerular volume, proliferative mesangial cells, width of the mesangial area and thickness of the basement membrane in group DN, however, all the above pathological characteristics were reduced in groups F and L, compared with group DN (P<0.05). No significant difference was found between groups F and L. A widened glomerular basement membrane, and disorder, widening and fusion of podocyte processes were observed under the electron microscope in group DN, however, these were reduced in groups F and L, compared with group DN (P<0.05). The results of the western blot analysis showed that the expression of nephrin decreased by 60.1% in group DN, compared with group N, and significant recovery in the expression of nephrin was observed in groups F and L (P<0.05). Tacrolimus reduced urinary protein and slowed the progression of DN, partially by recovering the protein expression of nephrin in the renal tissue of diabetic rats, and maintaining the integrity of the structure and function of podocytes.