Analysis of Interleukin-17 mRNA Level in the Urinary Cells of Kidney Transplant Recipients with Stable Function

Kidney transplantation supports patients with end-stage kidney diseases. Many factors
control the allograft function in kidney transplant recipients. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) can be used as a
non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of rejection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of
IL-17 mRNA in urinary cells of kidney transplant recipients with stable function.
Material and methods: A total of 40 renal transplant recipients who were admitted for surgery and
30 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. From each patient, 30 mL urine samples were collected in
50 mL tubes on days 3 and 5 after renal transplantation; also, 30 mL urine samples were obtained from controls.
Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) technique was used for analysis of IL-17 mRNA level in the tested
groups; 2-ΔΔCT method was performed for determining the relative gene expression between tested groups.
Results: The mRNA expression mean ± SE of fold in patients and controls were 3.58±1.61 fold and 2.85±1.37
fold, respectively. The mRNA expression mean of IL-17 (fold) was not statistically different in tested groups
(P-value = 0.63).
Conclusions: In kidney transplant recipients, urinary IL-17 expression provides informative data in
relation to the allograft function regardless of allograft pathology.