Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease with Acute Exercise Before and After Kidney Transplant

The post kidney transplant period is associated with insulin resistance partly due to corticosteroids. Patients on minimal corticosteroid therapy receiving tacrolimus (FK506) for immunosuppression also are affected. FK506 inhibits calcineurin in immune cells. Skeletal muscle calcineurin, which also might be inhibited, mediates exercise-induced transcription leading to more insulin-sensitive muscle. This study was performed to determine if gene transcription responses to exercise are lower in patients awaiting kidney transplant or 3 months post-transplant on a low-steroid, FK506 protocol. Transplant patients (n=5, age 52±2) had glucose clamps (Rd) and an exercise bout with muscle biopsies (Bx) pre- and 30 minutes post-exercise for gene expression analysis (Agilent-014850 4x44K Whole Human Genome Microarrays) before and after kidney transplant.