REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Clinical and Translational Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1557182
Biomarkers for Primary Graft Dysfunction after Lung Transplantation: A Review of Current Evidence and Future Prospects
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Clinical Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong Province, China
- 2Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Huangpu, Shanghai Municipality, China
- 3Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
- 4Jinan No. 3 People's Hospital, Jinan, China
- 5Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Weifang, Shandong Province, China
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Lung transplantation remains the only effective treatment for end-stage lung disease, offering the potential to significantly prolong survival and enhance quality of life for recipients. However, primary graft dysfunction (PGD)-a severe form of lung injury occurring within the first 72 hours post-transplantation-constitutes a major cause of early mortality and presents a substantial barrier to the broader clinical adoption of lung transplantation. Biomarkers, defined as specific molecules, cells, or other biological indicators detectable within or outside the body, can reflect physiological states, disease progression, or therapeutic responses. The identification of accurate and reliable biomarkers for the prediction and diagnosis of PGD is therefore critical for improving diagnostic precision and therapeutic outcomes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the discovery of PGD-related biomarkers, encompassing a wide range of candidates such as plasma proteins, hormones, cell-free DNA, and immunoreactive substances. The complex biomarker landscape associated with PGD involves multiple signaling pathways and cellular phenotypes. Despite ongoing research, no single biomarker has yet demonstrated sufficient predictive or diagnostic power to be used independently in clinical practice. Consequently, continued investigation is essential to validate existing biomarkers and develop optimized strategies for their integration into routine clinical application.
Keywords: Primary Graft Dysfunction, Lung Transplantation, biomarker, plasma proteins, cell-free DNA
Received: 08 Jan 2025; Accepted: 28 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Feng, Xue, Qiu, Li, Li, Xi, Ma and Pei. 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:
Chao Ma, School of Clinical Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, 261053, Shandong Province, China
Yuanmin Pei, School of Clinical Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, 261053, Shandong Province, China
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