The role of vitamin D and the vitamin D receptor levels in development of chronic rejection in kidney transplant recipients

Some experimental studies showed that vitamin D may have a role in the maintenance of normal kidney structure and function. The aim of this study is to assess whether serum vitamin D and vitamin D receptors concentrations are related with graft function in chronic allograft rejection or not. The patients with renal transplant recipients who had an outpatient visit between 2013 and 2014 were evaluated. Renal transplant patients divided two groups according to their renal graft function. First group was 14 patients with stable graft function, second group was 15 patients with unstable graft function and diagnosed as chronic allograft rejection by renal biopsy. We also evaluated 14 healthy people as control group who don't use vitamin D analogues. The serum BUN, creatinine, albumin, calcium, phosphorus, PTH, 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D3), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) and levels of VDR in monocytes, CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocyte were analyzed. There were not any statistically significant differences between three groups with regard to demographic variables gender, age, and BMI values. We didn't find statistically significant differences between groups with stable graft function and the group with chronic allograft rejection when we evaluated 25(OH)D3 levels, 1,25(OH)2D3 levels and immune cells (lymphocytes and monocytes) in terms of VDR value. Transplantation group and healthy group were compared in terms of 25(OH)D3 levels, 1,25(OH) 2D3 levels and VDR values. Transplantation group patients had higher VDR (CD8 VDR (MFI), CD4 VDR (MFI), Mon VDR (MFI)]and Mon/VDR% levels in immune cells. Research findings suggest that renal transplant recipients have higher VDR levels. These findings may be cause of a increased immune activation in response to immunsupressive drugs to use vitamin D more effective