Cyclosporine and Mycophenolate Mofetil 48 Hours Before Renal Transplantation Enables the Use of Low Cyclosporine Doses and Achieves Better Graft Function

Reducing calcineurin-inhibitor induced nephrotoxicity and simultaneously avoiding long-term side effects are desirable goals in renal transplantation. We examined the hypothesis that administration of cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 48 hours before renal transplantation allows reduction in the target cyclosporine C2 concentration, thus decreasing toxicity and improving graft function. We enrolled 80 kidney recipients in a single-center study comparing 2 cyclosporine-based protocols. Group I patients (n = 40) received a standard dose of cyclosporine (blood cyclosporine C2, 800–1500 ng/mL) with MMF and standard doses of corticosteroids. Group II patients (n = 40) were treated with a low dose of cyclosporine (blood cyclosporine C2, 450–800 ng/mL) and MMF plus low doses of corticosteroids after induction 48 hours before surgery with cyclosporine and MMF. Patient (97.5% vs 100%) and graft survivals (92.5% vs 95%) at 1 year were not different between the groups, although patients in group II experienced significantly fewer acute rejection episodes (10% vs 30%; P < .01). Delayed graft function occurred less often among group I than group II (17.5 vs 20%), but the difference was not significant. Graft function at 1 year was significantly better among group II (serum creatinine 1.31 vs 1.64 mg/dL and creatinine clearance 63 mL/min versus 47 mL/min; P < .05). We concluded that administration of cyclosporine and MMF 48 hours before renal transplantation allowed the safe effective use of low target C2 cyclosporine concentrations, enabling an early decrease in cyclosporine dose. These preliminary results indicated better 1-year graft function compared with the normal cyclosporine dose regimen.