Telomerase activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Chronic hepatitis B is the immunocompromising condition. The decrease of ly mphocyte telomerase is linked to immunosenescence in hosts. To know whether telomerase activity of lymphocytes is involved in immunopathogenesis in pa tients with chronic hepatitis B, telomerase activity of peripheral lymphocy tes was determined in such patients. The results showed that telomerase act ivity in resting peripheral lymphocytes of healthy subjects was detectable at low level, and obviously increased (P < 0.001) after stimulation in vitr o with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Telomerase activity of lymphocytes decrea sed with age in both groups with or without PHA stimulation. Telomerase act ivity of resting lymphocytes in patients with chronic hepatitis B was also observed at detectable level and markedly upregulated after. PHA stimulatio n. The decreased telomerase activity of resting lymphocytes was found in pa tients with chronic hepatitis B (n = 14, 0.32 +/- 0.27) compared to that in healthy subjects (n = 17, 0.52 +/- 0.28; P < 0.05). However, there was no difference present between these two groups in telomerase activity of activ ated lymphocytes with PHA. In addition, no effect of recombinant human inte rleukin-12 (rhIL-12) on telomerase expression was observed in either the pa tient group or the healthy group. We concluded that the decreased telomeras e activity of lymphocytes in chronic hepatitis B patients is present, which may be partly responsible for immunosuppressive condition in such patients . (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.