To investigate the application value of Cylex ImmuKnow immune cell function assay in the postoperative monitoring after liver transplantation (LT).

Clinical data of 82 patients undergoing allogeneic orthotopic LT in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between August 2012 and August 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Among the patients, 70 were males and 12 were females, with the average age of (48±9) years old. The informed consents of all patients were obtained and the local ethical committee approval was received. The patients were divided into three groups according to the clinical status after LT: the infection group (n=22), stable group (n=43) and acute rejection group (rejection group, n=17). And the healthy control group (control group, n=46) was also set. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level in cluster of differentiation (CD)4⁺ lymphocyte was detected using Cylex ImmuKnow immune cell function assay, and the ATP contents of patients in different clinical status were analyzed and compared. The testing data of ATP were compared using LSD-t test.

The ATP content was respectively (212±85),(389±138),(604±105) and (455±94) μg/L in the infection group, stable group, rejection group and control group. The ATP content in the infection group was significantly lower than that in the stable group (LSD-t=-5.2, P<0.05), while the ATP content in the rejection group was significantly higher than that in the stable group (LSD-t=7.4, P<0.05). With ATP content ≤225 μg/L as the diagnostic criteria for infection after LT, the sensitivity and specificity was 77% and 86% respectively, and Youden index was 0.63. With ATP content ≥525 μg/L as the diagnostic criteria for acute rejection after LT, the sensitivity and specificity was 71% and 93% respectively, and Youden index was 0.64.

Cylex ImmuKnow immune cell function assay can simply and quickly detect the immune cell function of the patients, and it has certain value in monitoring and diagnosing infection and acute rejection after LT.