Serum levels of alpha-1 microglobulin and beta-2 microglobulin in bone marrow transplant recipients treated with cyclosporin A

The levels of alpha-1 microglobulin (alpha 1m) and beta-2 microglobulin (beta 2m) in serum were estimated in 77 bone marrow transplant recipients. In comparison to pre-transplant levels, the highest levels of alpha 1m and beta 2m were found during impairment of renal function, i.e., during cyclosporin-induced nephrotoxicity and during treatment with other nephrotoxic drugs (P less than 0.001). The alpha 1m levels were less elevated during infections and acute graft-versus-host disease (P less than 0.01), while beta 2m levels were markedly elevated during the same conditions (P less than 0.001). The linear correlations between serum creatinine and alpha 1m and creatinine and beta 2m were r = 0.7 and 0.8, respectively (P less than 0.001). The overall correlation between alpha 1m and beta 2m was 0.4 (P less than 0.001). It is concluded that alpha 1m might be a complement to serum creatinine levels in monitoring renal function after bone marrow transplantation.