INCREASED PEROXIDE PRODUCTION BY POLYMORPHONUCLEAR CELLS OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-INFECTED PATIENTS

To evaluate the oxidative burst in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells isolated from 15 chronic HCV-infected patients and 11 con trols was assessed by flow cytometry in a time kinetic. Under nonstimu lated and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated conditions, H2O2 production was higher in HCV-infected patients than in controls (P <0. 05) at the time points of 20, 30, and 40 min. A positive correlation b etween H2O2 production by PMA-stimulated cells and serum levels of ala nine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase was found in the HCV-infected patients (r = 0.877, P <0.01 and r = 0.9351, P <0.001, re spectively). RT-PCR analysis of purified mononuclear (MN) and PMN cell s from HCV-infected patients revealed the presence of HCV RNA in 60% o f MN and 27% of PMN cell samples. These results suggest that a functio nal alteration of PMN cells is manifested in this chronic viral infect ion which may represent an additional factor in the development of liv er lesions. (C) 1998 Academic Press.