Clinical relevance of antibodies to HLA antigens undetectable by the standard complement-dependent cytotoxicity test

Recent literary data suggest that antibodies to HLA antigens undetectable by the standard complement-dependent cytotoxicity test may cause not only chronic, but also acute immunological complications after kidney transplantation. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of non-cytotoxic antibodies to HLA antigens for the development of immunological complications and a worse graft prognosis after first kidney transplantation. Sera before and early after transplantation from 120 first kidney recipients were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCXM), ELISA and the standard complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) test. Pre-transplant FCXM negativity was related to a lower incidence of rejection episodes in the first post-transplant year (P<0.01). A significant association between acute rejection and the presence of antibodies to HLA class II antigens before and after transplantation was also found (P<0.05). Our study supports the findings of other centers of the detrimental role to the kidney graft played by anti-HLA antibodies undetectable by the classical CDC test.