Functional activity of peripheral blood monocytes in patients with opisthorchiasis coupled to liver fibrosis intensity

The aim is to examine activity of peripheral blood monocytes from patients with opisthorchiasis coupled to intensity of liver fibrosis. Materials and Methods. A total of 74 patients with chronic opisthorchiasis (39 males and 35 females, average age 42.3 years) and 32 apparently healthy subjects (17 males and 15 females, average age 41.5 years) aged 24 to 60 years were enrolled. Opisthorchiasis was mainly diagnosed by parasitological assays to detect adult parasite eggs or bodies in duodenal contents and/or feces in all 74 patients. Liver fibrosis was assessed by elastometry according to the METAVIR scale. Functional activity of peripheral blood monocytes was performed in all patients with opisthorchiasis and healthy individuals from the control group by chemiluminescent analysis to measure intensity of reactive oxygen species production in lucigenin- and luminol-dependent spontaneous and zymosan-induced reactions. Results. Liver fibrosis F2 and F3—F4 stage according to METAVIR scale was found in 20.3% and 17.6% of patients with opisthorchiasis, respectively. While analyzing total pool of reactive oxygen species in the luminol-dependent process in patients with opisthorchiasis, a significantly decreased monocyte functional activity was observed as compared to healthy subjects that was evidenced by significantly decreased maximum intensity of produced reactive oxygen species as well as area under the chemiluminescence curve both in spontaneous and zymosan-induced reaction. Such parameters in liver fibrosis F3—F4 compared to F0—F1 in zymosan-induced response were lowered. Monocyte functional activity in spontaneous luminol-dependent reaction did not differ significantly depending on liver fibrosis intensity in patients with opisthorchiasis. The phagocytosis activation index in patients with opisthorchiasis with liver fibrosis F3—F4 compared to F0—F1 and F2 stage was lower. Similar changes were observed in the lucigenin-dependent reaction. Conclusion. The data obtained undoubtedly provide promising evidence to interpret the mechanisms behind liver fibrosis in patients with opisthorchiasis and create new opportunities for development of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.