The anti-CD20 antibody rituximab has recently gained interest as a B-cell depleting agent in renal transplantation. However, little is known about the pharmacodynamics of rituximab in renal transplant recipients. We have therefore studied the effect of single-dose rituximab in combination with conventional triple immunosuppressive therapy on the B-cell population in peripheral blood as well as in tissues. A total of 49 renal transplant recipients received single-dose rituximab, as induction therapy (n = 36) or as anti-rejection therapy (n = 13). We counted B cells in peripheral blood and performed immunohistochemical staining on lymph nodes and kidney transplant tissue samples to assess the prevalence of B cells. In all but 6 patients (88%) complete depletion of B cells in peripheral blood was achieved. In adults, 15 months after treatment the CD19+ and CD20+ cell counts were still below 5 cells/muL in the majority of patients (78%). The immunohistochemical staining showed a complete elimination of B cells in kidney tissue and a reduction of B cells in lymph nodes. In conclusion, single-dose rituximab in kidney transplant recipients evokes a long-term elimination of B cells in peripheral blood as well as within the kidney transplant. The effect seems to extend beyond the expected 3-12 months observed in lymphoma patients.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00255593.