Comparison of the expression of fibrosis-associated genes in glomeruli after renal transplantation between conventional cadaveric and non-heart-beating donors

Background: The main difference between cadaveric heart-beating donors and non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs) is the degree of warm ischaemia to which the kidney is subjected. This study was designed to see if this affected the expression of fibrosis-associated genes in the early period after transplantation. Methods: A series of 29 cadaveric and 19 NHBD renal transplants was studied. Patients underwent protocol needle-core renal transplant biopsies at 1 week, 3 months and 6 months after transplantation. At least two individual glomeruli were isolated from each biopsy. Messenger RNA was extracted and genes of interest were amplified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, then quantified in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system. Results: Delayed graft function was common in NHBD (17 of 19) compared with cadaveric transplants (six of 29) (P < 0.0001). Acute rejection rates were similar. The level of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, an inhibitor of extracellular matrix degradation, was higher in kidneys from NHBDs at 1 week (P = 0.02). There were no other statistically significant differences in the expression of fibrosis-associated genes between the two groups. Conclusion: Although the increased ischaemic injury in kidneys retrieved from NHBDs leads to a higher rate of delayed graft function, this does not translate into increased expression of fibrosis-associated genes after the first week.