Does calcium channel blockade have a role in prevention of expression of sepsis in renal transplant recipients?

Does calcium channel blockade have a role in prevention of expression of sepsis in renal transplant recipients? Int J Nephrol Renovasc Dis. 2016;9:291-295 Authors: D'Elia JA, Gleason RE, Monaco AP, Weinrauch LA Abstract Many antihypertensive agents have been demonstrated to assist in preservation of kidney function, among them those that modulate calcium channels. Calcium channel blockers may also be of value in protecting hemodialysis patients from complications of sepsis. In diabetic recipients of kidney transplant allografts treated with cyclosporine, calcium channel blockade has been retrospectively linked to improved graft preservation and to fewer episodes of sepsis. This brief review outlines clinical and experimental publications on potential protection from sepsis by addition of calcium channel blockers to standard antibiotic therapy in individuals who may or may not have normal kidney function, or in the presence or absence of immunosuppression. Such mechanisms include blockade of antibiotic cytosolic extrusion in the cases of Pneumococci, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Plasmodium falciparum malaria, or Schistosoma mansoni; blockade of the calcineurin/calmodulin pathway (in immunosuppressed patients allowing for lower dosage of cyclosporine); stabilization of calcium movement at the level of sarcoplasmic reticulum by which shock (vasopressor instability) is prevented; or of cytosolic calcium influx and cell death (in the case ...
Source: International Journal of Nephrology and Renovascular Disease - Category: Urology & Nephrology Tags: Int J Nephrol Renovasc Dis Source Type: research