Leukocyte Migration in Vitro and Its Relationship to Human Renal Allograft Rejection and Enhancement

SUMMARY Four patients received renal allografts from living related donors. Two pairs were identical on the basis of HL-A antigen identification. These patients were tested at various time intervals after grafting, utilizing their leukocytes in a capillary migration technique. Specific antigen derived from the donor white blood cells was used in each instance. Inhibition of leukocyte migration was noted during the time period of a rejection crisis. Following satisfactory control of rejection, the observed inhibition decreased to a non detectable level or inhibition of migration was still noted in normal human serum but stimulation of migration was noted in autologous plasma. The results suggest that the leukocyte migration technique may be utilized to serially follow transplantation patients to determine when rejection is present. Additionally, stimulation of migration appears related to clinical improvement and the presence of factors in autologous plasma which block the inhibitory cellular reaction. The measurement of this plasma factor may be useful in characterizing the enhanced renal allograft.