title: Interferon-gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic liver disease.
abstract: We investigated the role of the interferon system in the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease. Interferon-gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured with an ELISA. While concanavalin A-stimulated and recombinant interleukin 2-stimulated production of interferon-gamma in patients with chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis was significantly decreased when compared with that of controls (518 +/- 189 and 729 +/- 195 units per ml, mean +/- S.D.), there was also a lot of overlap. Addition of indomethacin to the cultures partially restored interferon-gamma production in patients with chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, indicating that suppressor function of monocytes was, in part, responsible for the diminished interferon-gamma production. Serial studies showed that interferon-gamma production rose during acute deterioration of illness, during treatment with interleukin 2 and with the improvement of clinical course. Interferon-gamma production was not different among hepatitis B e antigen or antibody positive, and non-A, non-B patients with chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Our findings suggest that diminished interferon-gamma production is associated with disease severity in chronic liver disease, irrespective of the hepatitis B virus carrier state. It would be interesting to compare the efficacy of treatment with interferon-gamma or interferon-gamma inducers such as interleukin 2 in chronic hepatitis B patients with and without decreased in vitro interferon-gamma production.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000378:metabolism; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000378:metabolism; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma; D007213:Indomethacin