Repetition of ATCMR promotes chronic change of allograft tissue, which results

in the poor allograft outcome. Therefore, our results suggest that the IL-17-dominant state may involve in the development of chronic change by repeat ATCMR. We investigated C4d positivity to evaluate whether the FOXP3/IL-17 ratio is associated with humoral immunity. Our results showed that C4d positivity and the coexistence of acute antibody-mediated rejection did not differ significantly between click here the two groups. In addition, glomerulopathy or vasculopathy, which is associated with humoral immunity, was not different between the two groups.31–33 These findings suggest that the impact of the Th17–Treg axis on humoral immunity is not as strong as its effect on T-cell-mediated immunity. The results of our study demonstrated that the ratio between Treg and IL-17-secreting

cell infiltration in the renal allograft represents the severity of ATCMR. But it is uncertain whether a similar ratio between these two cells is observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In a previous report, significantly higher Treg infiltration in allograft tissue was observed even though its proportion in PBMCs was not elevated.34 It may be because the allograft is a more active site of immune stimulation than PBMCs. Therefore, it is possible that the ratio between Treg and IL-17-secreting cells in PBMCs PF 2341066 is different from that in allograft. Our study has some limitations. First, this study is retrospective and non-randomized. For example, the proportion of basiliximab induction therapy was significantly

higher in the FOXP3 high group. However, basiliximab induction was not a significant prognostic factor for allograft outcome in this study. In addition, the FOXP3/IL-17 ratio did not differ significantly between the patients who took basiliximab induction and the patients who did not (data not shown). The above findings suggest that basiliximab induction did not have a significant effect on the development of an IL-17-secreting cell or FOXP3+ Treg dominant condition, and allograft outcome oxyclozanide after ATCMR. Second, the microenvironment, which is associated with the IL-17-driven or the FOXP3+ Treg-driven condition, was not assessed. Therefore, randomized controlled trials investigating the inflammatory cytokines associated with IL-17-producing cell development, such as IL-6, IL-21 and tumour necrosis factor-α, may help to understand clearly the underlying mechanisms that drive the IL-17 high or FOXP3 high condition.35 In summary, it is helpful to assess IL-17-secreting cell infiltration combined with FOXP3+ Treg in predicting the clinical outcome after ATCMR. The ratio between FOXP3 and IL-17 was closely associated with allograft function and the severity of tissue injury. Their ratio was also associated with the clinical outcome of ATCMR and long-term allograft survival.