Patients with renal cancer have a larger proportion of high-density blood monocytes with increased lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence.
The production of oxygen metabolites is probably important in cancer cell killing. The production of the superoxide anion, O2-, can be measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (Cl). Previous studies have shown that whole-blood lucigenin-enhanced Cl is increased in cancer patients and that this increase is related to blood monocyte activity. The present investigation confirmed these findings and showed that whole-blood lucigenin-enhanced Cl was elevated in 17 patients with renal cell adenocarcinoma (P < 0.001). The activity of the monocytes was studied more in detail, whereby monocytes were separated into different populations based upon differences in densities, i.e., high-density and low-density monocytes. The cancer patients had a significantly larger proportion of high-density monocytes (P < 0.05) than controls. The lucigenin-enhanced Cl of purified high-density monocytes in controls was significantly higher than that of low-density monocytes (P < 0.01). The authors conclude that the increase in the lucigenin-enhanced Cl of whole blood observed in cancer patients may partly reflect the increased activity of a larger proportion of high-density monocytes in these patients.
Trulson
A
A
Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Nilsson
S
S
Brekkan
E
E
Venge
P
P
D000166:Acridines; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism
D000166:Acridines; D013481:Superoxides; C033472:10,10'-dimethyl-9,9'-biacridinium