The interactive association between Immune system and Kidney function

Michalis Christodoulou 1, Georgios Lioulios 1, Matina Stai 1, Asimina Fylaktou 2, Maria Daoudaki 3 and Maria Stangou 1, *

1 Department of Nephrology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
2 Department of Immunology, National Peripheral Histocompatibility Center, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
3 Department of Biochemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
 
Review
Open Access Research Journal of Life Sciences, 2022, 03(02), 001–004.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjls.2022.3.2.0037
Publication history: 
Received on 10 March 2022; revised on 18 April 2022; accepted on 20 April 2022
 
Abstract: 
The Immune System (IS) and Kidney function are closely and interactively connected. IS dysfunction happening in autoimmune diseases, infections, malignancies, etc. is implicated in the pathogenesis of kidney involvement, leading to a great spectrum of glomerular and interstitial injury through several immunological pathways, such as immune complex deposition, activation of complement and signaling pathways.
Complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD), including accumulation of uremic toxins, O2 free radicals, advanced glycation end products, increased expression of Toll Like Receptors on monocytes, cytokine overproduction, result in a situation characterized by chronic inflammation combined with premature ageing, and usually designated as “inflamm-aging”, followed by detrimental clinical consequences in CKD patients, such as increased cardiovascular risk, susceptibility to infections and malignancies.
Kidney transplant can potentially restore the immune profile of patients, albeit immunosuppression treatment may be followed by further complications. The presence of certain T cell subsets at time of renal transplantation may affect response to immunosuppression and acute or chronic rejection, suggesting that patients’ immune profile at time of transplantation may have substantial impact in short and long term graft function.
 
Keywords: 
Kidney function; Immune system; Clinical complications; Lymphocytes
 
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