Inducible nitric oxide synthase transcription in human lung transplantation

• Published in: Transplantation Vol. 70; no. 2; p. 384
• Main Authors: Soccal, P M, Jani, A, Chang, S, Leonard, C T, Pavlakis, M, Doyle, R L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 27.07.2000
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - chemistry; Graft Rejection - enzymology; Graft Rejection - genetics; Humans; Lung Transplantation - immunology; Nitric Oxide Synthase - genetics; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA - metabolism; Surgical Wound Infection - enzymology; Surgical Wound Infection - genetics; Transcription, Genetic
• ISSN: 0041-1337
• DOI: 10.1097/00007890-200007270-00026

Recent animal data suggest that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) may be useful for the diagnosis of lung rejection. The aim of this study was to evaluate iNOS mRNA transcription in the BAL fluid of human lung allografts. iNOS mRNA transcription was quantified by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 51 BAL cell pellets of lung transplant patients. According to bacteriological and histological results, BAL samples were divided into three groups: normal (n=21), acute rejection (AR, n=15), and infection (INF, n=15). Compared with the control group, iNOS transcription increased significantly with INF (P=0.0005) but only slightly with AR (P>0.05). INF values were significantly higher than AR values (P=0.0029). BAL iNOS mRNA transcript determination by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction may be useful in differentiating infected from normal and/or acutely rejecting allografts.