Synthetic peptides derived from human MHC class I sequences delay allograft rejection in rodents and inhibit cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vivo and in vitro.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Giral.
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Progress in clinical management and sophistication of immunological treatment of kidney allografts depend upon continuous reassessment of the risk factors related to pre- and post-graft information according to the therapeutical strategies used. We studied predictive factors of long-term graft survival (up to 9 years) and of kidney graft function at one year after surgery in a single-center population of 468 first cadaveric kidney recipients treated with a uniform immunosuppression induction regimen of anti-thymocyte globulin, followed by cyclosporine A. The statistical analysis showed that long-term graft survival was highly correlated with the occurrence of one or more acute cellular rejections and with the timing of these episodes. In addition, this uniformly treated series of patients confirmed the potential importance of gender matching. The magnitude of anti-HLA immunization and delayed graft function were also strongly linked to low graft survival rates. We found no significant influence of HLA matching, with serological HLA typing, on graft loss. The quality of graft function at one year was found to be a strong prognostic factor of long-term graft survival. In addition, the impact of pre- and post-graft parameters were studied in terms of prediction of one-year graft function. A stepwise multivariate analysis showed that graft function at one year was a multivariate phenomenon strongly correlated with a history of acute rejection episodes and with donor and recipient age. However, these 3 factors could account for only 15% of the graft function deterioration, the remaining 85% might be explained in part by chronic cyclosporine toxicity and/or chronic rejection.
The products of TAP1 and TAP2 genes, recently mapped within the MHC class II region, are involved in antigen presentation by MHC class I molecules, especially in the transport of endogenous peptides. As for most MHC genes, a polymorphism has been described and the possibility that it could influence the recipient immune response by modulating antigen presentation in kidney transplantation has been tested. The aim of our study was to compare TAP1 and TAP2 gene polymorphism and matching in 53 couples of kidney donors and recipients without any rejection episodes and in 55 other couples who had experienced at least 2 acute cellular rejection episodes; 70 healthy individuals served as controls. Our results showed that allelic variant frequencies of TAP1 alleles (1A to 1C) and TAP2 alleles (2A to 2E), as assessed by amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction, were similar among "rejection" and "no rejection" populations. Furthermore, there were no differences of TAP1 and/or TAP2 matching between donors and recipients in the 2 groups. In contrast, we showed that the recipients of the no rejection group were better matched with their corresponding donors for the HLA-DR genes than those of the rejection group. These results suggest that the currently described polymorphism in the limited coding region of TAP1 and TAP2 genes does not influence the incidence of kidney allograft rejection episodes and seems not to be a strong link to the adjacent DR/DQ subregion. Moreover, the observed increase frequency of TAP1B allele in the whole recipient's group as compared with controls (16.2% vs. 7.1% in the healthy individuals; P < 0.02) was not linked to the rejection occurrence but to the presence of glomerulonephritis as initial disease. Our study suggests that, in the clinical conditions tested, neither TAP polymorphism nor TAP matching influences the renal graft outcome.
Almost all forms of glomerulonephritis affecting the native kidney may recur in the transplanted kidney. However, in a large majority of patients, recurrent glomerulonephritis has only a minimal impact on graft function and survival; less than 5% of all graft losses are the result of recurrence. Kidney transplantations provide an attractive experimental model for investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms in diseases, such as diabetes, in which the recurrence of glomerulonephritis is frequent, and segmental glomerular sclerosis in which glomerulonephritis is severe.
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A series of [(3-pyridylalkyl)piperidylidene]- and (nicotinoylpiperidylidene)benzocycloheptapyridine derivatives, Ia,b, were prepared and evaluated for PAF antagonist and H1 antihistamine activity. PAF antagonist activity was investigated by the in vitro PAF-induced platelet aggregation assay (PPA) and the in vivo PAF-induced hypotension test in rats (PH) and mortality test in mice (PM). For the evaluation of H1 antihistamine activity, the in vitro histamine-induced contraction of the guinea-pig ileum assay (HC) and the in vivo histamine-induced hypotension test (HH) in normotensive rats were used. The potential antiallergic activity of the compounds was evaluated using the active anaphylactic shock test in mice. These compounds are structurally related to loratadine (1) and were generated by replacement of the ethoxycarbonyl group of 1 with substituted 3-pyridylmethyl and nicotinoyl moieties. Both anti-PAF and H1 antihistamine activities have shown a high dependence on the exact nature and position of the substituent in the pyridine ring. Optimum structure 19 (UR-12592) incorporating a (5-methyl-3-pyridyl)methyl radical displayed an unique dual activity inhibiting both PAF-induced effects (PPA, IC50 = 3.7 microM; PH, ID50 = 0.44 mg/kg iv; PM, ID50 = 1.9 mg/kg po) and histamine-induced effects (HC, IC50 = 3.9 nM; HH, ID50 = 1.4 mg/kg iv). Furthermore, 19 was highly active in the passive cutaneous anaphylactic shock in rats (ID50 = 1.2 mg/kg po) and strongly protected mice and rats from mortality induced by endotoxin (ID50 = 1.2 and 0.5 mg/kg iv, respectively). Compound 19 showed itself to be devoid of CNS depressant effects, neither modifying spontaneous motor activity nor prolonging barbiturate-sleeping time in mice at a dose of 100 mg/kg po, and is now under development.
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Imurel and glucocorticosteroid were long the only effective immunosuppressive agents used in prevention of renal allograft rejection. In the 80s, the discovery of a macrolide, cyclosporine A, led to considerable improvement in survival of transplants (around 10 to 20%). Imurel, corticosteroid and cyclosporine constitute the reference immunosuppressive treatment. The mode of use is not fixed and depends on the usage in each transplantation centre. The numerous side effects of these agents sometimes limit their use and, for some, can lead to stopping treatment. Close regular follow-up is required to ensure optimum efficacy and minimum toxicity. Present research in post-transplantation treatment is testing new molecules with powerful immunosuppressive activity, i.e., FK506, rapamycine, mycophenolic acid, sodium brequinar and 15 deoxyspergualine. Some act like Imurel (brequinar, mycophenolic acid), while FK506 and rapamycine have a mechanism of actions that are related to those of cyclosporine A. 15 deoxyspergualine has a different mechanism. The use of these agents in the near future, in association, will allow reducing the nontoxic levels of dosages of each, while maintaining an effective immunosuppression threshold.
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A second generation of (cyanomethyl)piperazines, 1-acyl-4-((2-methyl-3-pyridyl)cyanomethyl)-piperazines, with increased oral activity was prepared and evaluated in vitro in a PAF-induced platelet aggregation assay (PAG) and in vivo in a PAF-induced hypotension test in normotensive rats (HYP). Oral activity was ascertained through a PAF-induced mortality test in mice (MOR). Attachment of a methyl group at position 2 of our earlier pyridine derivatives resulted in an improvement of 1 order of magnitude or greater in the ID50 of the oral test. Three different types of acyl substituents of similar potency emerge from this work: N-(diphenylmethylamino)acetyl, 3-substituted 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionyl, and N-substituted 3-amino-3-phenylpropionyl groups. The most interesting compounds, 26 (UR-12460, PAG IC50 = 0.040 microM, HYP, ID50 = 0.021 mg/kg i.v., MOR, ID50 = 0.30 mg/kg po) and 58 (UR-12519, PAG IC50 = 0.041 microM, HYP, ID50 = 0.015 mg/kg i.v., MOR, ID50 = 0.044 mg/kg po), compare favorably with WEB-2086. Compounds 26 and 58 were also tested in active anaphylactic shock (AAS) and endotoxin-induced mortality (EIM) tests. On the basis of these data, compounds 26 and 58 have been selected for further pharmacological development.
Cytokines play a key-role in the immune response. The best known of them is interleukin-2 and its specific receptors. Monoclonal antibodies directed against the interleukin-2 receptor have initially enabled this receptor to be characterized; then they served to confirm the major role played by this cytokine in immune responses, where it proved effective in many animal models such as allograft reaction, delayed hypersensitivity reaction and some experimental auto-immune diseases. These results have been confirmed in man, particularly in kidney transplantation (but also in bone marrow transplantation), and they encourage to develop new bioreagents (chimeral antibodies, "humanized" antibodies, fusion proteins). Some of these reagents are now undergoing evaluation in renal transplantation. The principles of these bioreagents, issued from molecular biology, can be applied to other cytokines involved in the immunopathological mechanisms of certain diseases such as, for example, IL-6 and its role in the development of myeloma. Data from immune intervention directed against other cytokines are, for the moment, preliminary, but many potential targets (IL-1, IL-4, TNF alpha, INF gamma) are emerging.
A series of (pyridylcyanomethyl)piperazines was prepared and evaluated for PAF-antagonist activity. Compounds were tested in vitro in a PAF-induced platelet aggregation assay and in vivo in a PAF-induced hypotension test in normotensive rats. Oral activity was ascertained through a PAF-induced mortality test in mice. The main structure-activity trends of the series were established. Activity was mainly found in four skeletons: 1-acyl-4-(3-pyridylcyanomethyl)piperazine, 1-acyl-4-(4-pyridylcyanomethyl)piperazine, 1-acyl-4-(3-pyridylcyanomethyl)piperidine, and 1-acyl-4-cyano-4-(3-pyridylamino)piperidine. The acyl substituents, diphenylacetyl and 3,3-diphenylpropionyl, provided the most active compounds, and the introduction of an amine or hydroxy group in the 3,3-diphenylpropionyl substituent led to further improvement in oral activity. As a result, three of the most active compounds (100, 114, and 115) have been selected for further pharmacological development.
A series of 4-substituted 2-alkoxytetrahydrofuran derivatives featuring an acetal group were prepared and evaluated for PAF antagonist activity in the PAF-induced in vitro platelet-aggregation and in vivo hypotension tests. Compound 2-[[N-acetyl-N-[[[2-(octadecyloxy)tetrahydrofuran-4- yl]methoxy]carbonyl]amino]methyl]-1-ethylpyridinium chloride (4e, UR-11353) was selected for further development on the basis of its high activity and long-lasting action. The compound maintained a significant activity even 24 h after administration of a single dose of 1 mg/kg iv in the PAF-induced mortality test in mice and 10 h after administration of the same dose in the PAF-induced hypotension test in rats. Comparison with previously reported carba analogues suggests that the presence of the acetal group is the structural characteristic that confers its long-lasting activity.
T lymphocyte expansion is triggered through interaction of interleukin 2 (IL-2) with its high-affinity receptor (IL-2R). This molecule is a heterodimer comprising an antigen-inducible component, the Tac chain (P55). Activation of T lymphocytes also generates a soluble form of this P55 called S-IL-2R. S-IL-2R is elevated in many T-cell-related pathologies (leukemia, autoimmunity, etc.). In graft recipients, rejection is a result of T-cell activation by graft antigens and therefore might induce a release of S-IL-2R in the circulation; this parameter is now said to be a good indicator of rejection. We have performed a study in renal graft recipients in order to assess the usefulness of circulating S-IL-2R particularly to discriminate the origin of renal failure in cases of rejection or of cyclosporin-A (CsA)-induced nephrotoxicity. We demonstrated that there are no differences between isolated values in the clinical groups at the time of diagnosis. Variations in S-IL-2R are increased compared to steady-state periods during rejection and cytomegalovirus infections, although not in CsA toxicity episodes. However, at the individual level there are too many false-positive and false-negative results, making this parameter no more meaningful than serum creatinine levels alone or even in association (as tested in logistic discriminant analysis). In addition, it seems that the variations in S-IL-2R are partly related to renal function itself, as suggested by the correlation between S-IL-2R levels and serum creatinine levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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