Hyaluronan and LYVE-1 and allograft function in lung transplantation recipients

Hyaluronan (HA) is associated with innate immune response activation and may be a marker of allograft dysfunction in lung transplant recipients. This was a prospective, single center study comparing levels of bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) and serum HA and the HA immobilizer LYVE-1 in lung transplant recipients with and without acute cellular rejection (ACR). Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD)-free survival was also evaluated based on HA and LYVE-1 levels. 78 recipients were enrolled with a total of 115 diagnostic biopsies and 1.5 years of median follow-up. Serum HA was correlated with BAL HA (r = 0.25, p = 0.01) and with serum LYVE-1 (r = 0.32, p = 0.002). There was significant variation in HA and LYVE-1 over time, regardless of ACR status. Levels of serum HA (median 74.7 vs 82.7, p = 0.69), BAL HA (median 149.4 vs 134.5, p = 0.39), and LYVE-1 (mean 190.2 vs 183.8, p = 0.72) were not associated with ACR. CLAD-free survival was not different in recipients with any episode of elevated serum HA (HR = 1.5, 95% CI = 0.3–7.7, p = 0.61) or BAL HA (HR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.2–3.6, p = 0.93). These results did not differ when stratified by bilateral transplant status. In this small cohort, serum HA, BAL HA, and LYVE-1 levels are not associated with ACR or CLAD-free survival in lung transplant recipients.