Reparixin in Prevention of Delayed Graft Function After Kidney Transplantation

Delayed graft function (DGF) is the most common allograft complication in the immediate kidney post-transplant period, affecting 25-35% of all patients who receive a cadaver graft, but rates up to 50% have been reported, especially in recipients of kidneys from marginal donors. It is an important clinical complication as it requires dialysis, prolongs hospitalisation, raises the cost of transplantation, and makes more difficult the management of immunosuppressive therapy. Although the effects of DGF on long-term graft function are still debated, there is overall increasing evidence that DGF reduces long-term graft survival. Moreover, given the well documented impact of acute rejection on long-term graft survival, it is conceivable that DGF and acute rejection synergize in negatively influencing long-term graft survival. Kidney reperfusion, after long cold ischemia period, is associated with an inflammatory reaction characterized by massive polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) infiltration both at the glomerular and tubular levels. The importance of CXCL8 in recruiting PMN in kidney tissue during the ischemic time and after reperfusion has been clearly documented. The efficacy of reparixin in preventing PMN infiltration and tissue damage in rat models of kidney transplantation and lung transplantation, as well as the safety shown in human phase 1 studies, provide the rationale for a clinical study aimed at evaluating the effect of reparixin in preventing DGF after kidney transplantation