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 controls was assessed by flow cytometry in a time kinetic. Under nonstimulated and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated conditions, H₂O₂production 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 between H₂O₂production by PMA-stimulated cells and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase was found in the HCV-infected patients (r= 0.877,P<0.01 andr= 0.9351,P<0.001, respectively). RT-PCR analysis of purified mononuclear (MN) and PMN cells from HCV-infected patients revealed the presence of HCV RNA in 60% of MN and 27% of PMN cell samples. These results suggest that a functional alteration of PMN cells is manifested in this chronic viral infection which may represent an additional factor in the development of liver lesions.