Filtering lymphocytes may decrease the need for immunosuppression in solid organ transplantation

Abstract

Organ transplantation has become very important for patients with irreversible organ diseases. The transplanted organ is foreign to the host and, therefore, it induces a complex immune response of the patient. Therefore, Immunosuppressive agents are usually required to suppress both specific and nonspecific immunity and prevent allograft rejection in recipients who undergo organ transplantation. Of the late years, newer immunosuppressive agents with non-overlapping toxicities have been used in combinations in order to provide better patient and graft survival. However, these medications are associated with significant adverse effects that impact quality of life and sometimes long-term survival of the patient. Adverse effects can differ between the immunosuppressants, but many result from the overall state of immunosuppression. Strategies to manage immunosuppressant adverse effects often involve minimizing exposure to the drugs while balancing the risk for rejection. However, to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ, there may be unproven approaches other than immunosuppressive drugs. Filtering lymphocytes by a specific filter with respect to their size can be an alternative way. Our hypothesis was concerning of if such a filter could manage this and take the place of these drugs.