Changes and Significance of IL-17 in Acute Renal Allograft Rejection in Rats

Background. To investigate the changes and significance of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in acute rejection following rat kidney transplantation. Methods. Using inbred Sprague Dawley rats as donors and Wistar rats as recipients, an acute rejection model of kidney transplantation was established to evaluate the effects of IL-17. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to detect IL-17. Results. Compared with those in the normal control group, the rats in the allogeneic transplantation (ATX) group had different degrees of acute rejection 3, 5, and 7 days after operation, and the expression of IL-17 mRNA in the transplanted kidney was significantly increased (P <.05). In the ATX group, acute rejection was observed 7 days after operation, and the integrated optical density (IOD) value of IL-17 was significantly increased (P <.05). Compared with the normal control group, acute rejection occurred in varying degrees at 3, 5, and 7 days after operation in the ATX group, and the IOD value of IL-17 significantly increased (P <.05). Conclusions. IL-17 expression is increased in acute rejection after renal transplantation in rats. Other surgical factors in addition to acute rejection had no effect on IL-17 expression in rat kidney transplants. The immunosuppressant cyclosporin A was used to prevent the expression of IL-17 in rats with acute rejection.