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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.

Sec. Alloimmunity and Transplantation

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1677901

Advances in Research on the Role of Neutrophils in Organ Transplant Rejection

Provisionally accepted
Shaochen  YuShaochen Yu1Mengjie  ZhangMengjie Zhang2Ziyue  DouZiyue Dou2Beibei  TianBeibei Tian2Jian  LuJian Lu2*
  • 1Chuzhou Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, Chuzhou, China
  • 2The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Organ transplantation is an effective treatment for end-stage organ failure, but rejection remains a major obstacle to transplant success. Neutrophils play a key role in organ transplant rejection, participating not only in early immune responses but also exacerbating graft injury through mechanisms such as the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Therefore, in-depth exploration of the immunological role of neutrophils in transplant rejection and their interactions with other immune cells is highly important. This article reviews the latest research progress on the mechanisms of action of neutrophils in transplant rejection and their impact on grafts while also assessing the clinical application prospects of immunosuppressive strategies targeting neutrophils and NETs. By integrating current basic and clinical research findings, this article aims to provide theoretical support and new research directions for the diagnosis and treatment of neutrophil-related rejection, with the goal of improving organ transplant success rates and patient quality of life.

Keywords: Neutrophil, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), Organ Transplantation, rejection, targeted therapy

Received: 01 Aug 2025; Accepted: 15 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Yu, Zhang, Dou, Tian and Lu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Jian Lu, lujian@ahmu.edu.cn

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