[Urinary excretion of acetylated polyamines after heart transplantation in dogs].

Increase in urinary polyamine levels after transplantation was suggested to be an indicator of organ rejection but immunosuppression therapy could also give rise to these polyamines. To test this hypothesis, the urinary excretion of N-acetylputrescine (Nap) and N-acetylspermidine (Nas) was studied in 36 dogs. Two groups (n = 6) underwent cervical heterotopic heart transplantation. Three other groups (n = 6) were given different immunosuppression treatments without having any surgery and one group (n = 6) had a sham cervical operation. Urine samples and percutaneous transmural biopsy of the transplanted heart were collected daily. The acetylated polyamines were measured with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Immunosuppression of the transplanted dogs with cyclosporine, imuran and prednisone during the postoperative period caused a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the excretion of Nas averaging 512 +/- 122, 929 +/- 337, 507 +/- 207, 1008 +/- 665, 674 +/- 273 nmol/mg of creatinine respectively compared to 197 +/- 31, 149 +/- 30, 203 +/- 56, 177 +/- 40, 226 +/- 62 nmol/mg of creatinine. The excreted levels of Nap for the same group were 594 +/- 202, 707 +/- 138, 1007 +/- 270, 1055 +/- 358, 827 +/- 270 nmol/mg of creatinine compared to 71 +/- 24, 169 +/- 36, 150 +/- 23, 136 +/- 29, 197 +/- 32 nmol/mg of creatinine (p < 0.05) in the control group of sham operated animals. A significant excretion of Nas and Nap was also observed between the transplanted dogs under immunosuppression and the immunosuppressed but non-operated animals, as well as with the non-operated animals that were given cyclosporine only.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)