The investigators hypothesize that switching kidney transplant patients on tacrolimus/sirolimus long-term maintenance immunosuppressive drug regimens to tacrolimus/everolimus, will not only be safe, but will lead to better kidney function than patients staying on tacrolimus/sirolimus due to the lower potential of everolimus to enhance calcineurin inhibitors toxicity and/or its ability to even reverse some of the negative effects of calcineurin inhibitors on vascular endothelial and kidney function. To test this hypothesis vascular endothelial biomarkers will be analyzed in blood plasma samples and kidney dysfunction biomarkers in urine samples via liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate whether switching kidney transplant patients on tacrolimus/sirolimus to tacrolimus/everolimus will lead to better kidney and endothelial function after one year and two years.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Patients will be stable kidney transplant patients who are receiving an immunosuppressive drug regimen based on tacrolimus and sirolimus. 24 hours after the last sirolimus dose, the patients randomized to the tacrolimus/everolimus arm of the study will be switched from sirolimus to everolimus 1:1 (same sirolimus as everolimus dose). Everolimus doses will be adjusted so that trough blood concentrations are within 3-8 ng/mL. In detail: Tacrolimus (Prograf or FDA approved generic 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 5 mg capsules, twice a day) in combination with Everolimus (Zortress, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 tablets).
Patients will be stable kidney transplant patients who are receiving an immunosuppressive drug regimen based on tacrolimus and sirolimus. 24 hours after the last sirolimus dose, the patients randomized to the tacrolimus/sirolimus arm of the study will remain on tacrolimus/sirolimus. In detail: Tacrolimus (Prograf or FDA approved generic 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 5 mg capsules, once a day) in combination with Sirolimus (Rapamune, 0.5, 1, and 2mg tablets).
Creatinine Outcome Measure (1)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
Calculated Glomerular Filtration Rate (1)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
Calculated Glomerular Filtration Rate (2)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (1)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (2)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
S-Adenosylhomocysteine Hydrolase (1)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
S-Adenosylhomocysteine Hydrolase (2)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
S-Adenosylmethionine (1)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
S-Adenosylmethionine (2)
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Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
Creatinine Outcome Measure (2)
Kidney function outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
12-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (1)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
12-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (2)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (1)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (2)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
18- Hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (1)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
18- Hydroxy- eicosapentaenoic acid (2)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
Ornithine (1)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
Ornithine (2)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed two years after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years
Arginine (1)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 1 year
Arginine (2)
Vascular endothelial dysfunction outcome markers will be assessed one year after kidney transplant
Time frame: 2 years