RESUMO
BACKGROUND: To investigate the changes and significance of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in acute rejection following rat kidney transplantation. METHODS: Using inbred Sprague Dawley rats as donors and Wistar rats as recipients, an acute rejection model of kidney transplantation was established to evaluate the effects of IL-17. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to detect IL-17. RESULTS: Compared with those in the normal control group, the rats in the allogeneic transplantation (ATX) group had different degrees of acute rejection 3, 5, and 7 days after operation, and the expression of IL-17 mRNA in the transplanted kidney was significantly increased (P < .05). In the ATX group, acute rejection was observed 7 days after operation, and the integrated optical density (IOD) value of IL-17 was significantly increased (P < .05). Compared with the normal control group, acute rejection occurred in varying degrees at 3, 5, and 7 days after operation in the ATX group, and the IOD value of IL-17 significantly increased (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: IL-17 expression is increased in acute rejection after renal transplantation in rats. Other surgical factors in addition to acute rejection had no effect on IL-17 expression in rat kidney transplants. The immunosuppressant cyclosporin A was used to prevent the expression of IL-17 in rats with acute rejection.