[A quantitative analysis of IL-6 mRNA expression of peripheral blood monocyte cell in patients with chronic hepatitis B].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship of interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA expression with the immunopathogenesis and viral clearance.


METHODS
The serum IL-6 level of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were detected by ELISA and quantitatively the IL-6 mRNA expression of peripheral blood monocyte cell (PBMC) in patients with CHB were analysed by competitive RT-PCR-ELISA.


RESULTS
Serum level of IL-6 in patients with CHB was significantly increased. Both expression rates of IL-6 mRNA target fragment in control and in patients with CHB were 41.7% (5/12) and 82.1% (23/28) respectively. The quantitative ELISA of production of RT-PCR showed the copies of IL-6 mRNA in 5 cases of control were 1 000 to 10 000 (the mean log copies was 3.65), while the copies of IL-6 mRNA in 23 cases of patients were all more then 10 000 (the mean log copies was 4.40).


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that the increased level of IL-6 may play some role in hepatitis B infection, the increased serum level of IL-6 is related to the enhanced expression of IL-6 mRNA of PBMC.
Song
W
W
The Department of Biology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230028, China.
Zhang
F
F
Li
Z
Z
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger