Potential of colony-stimulating factors to improve host defense in organ transplant recipients

In dexamethasone-treated PBMC isolated from control patients, or in cells obtained from immunosuppressed liver transplant patients, GM-CSF was found to selectively restore the innate immune response, without activating the specific immune response implicated in graft rejection. Moreover, GM-CSF efficiently restored the immune response against an otherwise lethal bacterial infection in immunosuppressed mice, without inducing the rejection of a skin transplant. These recent data could have implications for clinical practice and suggest a more detailed evaluation of agents with similar actions to GM-CSF in the restoration of innate immunity in organ transplant patients.