Translocation of bacterial DNA from Gram-positive microorganisms is associated with a species-specific inflammatory response in serum and ascitic fluid of patients with cirrhosis.
Translocation of bacterial-DNA in patients with cirrhosis and ascites triggers an innate immune response. Identification of characteristics to which this response is sensitive is relevant from a clinical standpoint. The aim of this study has been to determine if the proinflammatory immune response established in vivo in cirrhotic patients with ascites as a consequence of bacterial-DNA translocation is related to the identified bacterial species and their frequency of cytosine-guanosine content in serum and ascitic fluid. Patients with advanced cirrhosis and ascites were included in the study and distributed into groups I and II according to the absence or presence of bacterial-DNA translocation, respectively. Serum and ascitic fluid levels of proinflammatory cytokines after normalization of bacterial-DNA concentration and the activated form of nuclear factor-kappa B in ascitic fluid pellets were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques. Translocation of bacterial-DNA with higher cytosine-guanosine content induced the highest cytokine response, which was higher than that in patients without bacterial-DNA translocation. The activated form of nuclear factor-kappa B in ascitic fluid pellets of patients with bacterial-DNA translocation was greater in patients with higher bacterial-DNA cytosine-guanosine content, whereas the amount of total nuclear factor-kappa B remained unaltered. Bacterial-DNA translocation induces a marked immune reaction in vivo in patients with advanced cirrhosis and ascites which is related, among other factors, to the bacterial-DNA cytosine-guanosine content. Therefore, the host's immune response to bacterial-DNA translocation constitutes a species-specific phenomenon.
Francés
R
R
CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain, and Liver Unit, Hospital General Universitario, Alicante, Spain.
González-Navajas
J M
JM
Zapater
P
P
Muñoz
C
C
Caño
R
R
Pascual
S
S
Santana
F
F
Márquez
D
D
Pérez-Mateo
M
M
Such
J
J
D000368:Aged; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D018988:Bacterial Translocation; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology