Significance of monocytic cytokines at single cell level for the immune responsiveness in renal transplant recipients

Cytokine dysregulation is an important factor underlying the immune unresponsiveness to hepatitis B vaccination (HBV) in renal transplant recipients. This study investigated the relationship between monocyte-derived interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) production and the immune responsiveness using flow cytometry (cytoflow) after whole blood culture. According to their previous response to hepatitis B vaccination, 40 renal transplant recipients were divided into two groups of 20 patients. The percentage of CD14+ monocytes stained positive for intracellular IL-6 or IL-10 was measured using flow cytometry after 4 and 20 h of whole blood culture with lipopolysaccharide stimulation. The percentage of CD14+/IL-6+ cells after incubation in vitro for 4 h was lower in the responders compared to the non-responders and controls (27.15±8.93 vs 35.47±9.95, P=NS; and 37.06±10.89, P