A Study on Plasma Prostaglandin E(2) Levels in Hepatitis B Carriers and Patients with Chronic Active Hepatitis

Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), one of the major prostaglandins synthesized in human monocyte and macrophage, is able to modulate T lymphocyte reactivity, such as lymphokine secretion and cytotoxicity. Some immunologic abnormalities such as alteration in the synthesis of PGE(2) by monocyte and macrophage or in the response of T lymphocytes to PGE(2) can be found in clinical disease. We measured the plasma PGE(2) level in the control group and patients with chronic liver disease. 1. The mean plasma PGE(2) level was 2.65 ± 0.69 pg/ml in the control group. 2. The mean plasma PGE(2) level was 9.07 ± 5.89 pg/ml in 15 patients with chronic active hepatitis and was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.01). 3. The plasma mean PGE(2) level was 4.65 ± 1.59 pg/ml in 8 patients in the healing stage or stable stage of chronic hepatitis and was tend to decrease. However, this decrease is significantly different from that of the control group. 4. The plasma PGE(2) level was 3.5 ± 0.92 pg/ml in 4 hepatitis B carriers and was not significantly different from that of the control group (p<0.05). This results suggest that plasma PGE(2) can be used for the measurement of cell-mediated immunity and follow-up study in patients with chronic active hepatitis and hepatitis B carriers.