ABSTRACT
Infected ascites are common in alcoholic cirrhosis. The mechanisms by which they contain few neutrophil granulocytes remain unknown. Ascitic fluids from 25 patients were studied for their chemotactic properties using Nelson's method 1975 (migration under agarose). Ascitic fluids were compared to plasmas from controls and to a standard attractant (FMLP, 10-7 M). Some fluids were diluted or concentrated by lyophilization, an inactivator was searched for, and the concentration of some complement components was determined. Ascitic fluids failed to be chemoattractant under agarose (25 cases), even concentrated 10 times (3 cases). Some complement components (CH5O, C3, C4 and factor B) could not be detected. It is likely that the absence of chemoattractant properties under agarose in ascitic fluids is related to a deficit in complement components. That might depend on deficient synthesis, or mainly on enhanced consumption. The impaired chemotaxis may serve to explain the low level of neutrophil granulocytes in infected fluids and the severity of infections.
Subject(s)
Ascitic Fluid/physiopathology , Chemotaxis, Leukocyte , Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic/physiopathology , Neutrophils/physiology , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The compensatory growth of the kidney (C. G. K.) in the rat, is accompanied by a lowering of the renal concentration of histamine (507 micrograms/kg 48 hours after the beginning of the C. G. K. against 1,070 micrograms/kg in the normal kidney). Three antihistamines were injected i.p. during the first 48 hours of the C. G. K.: dexchlorpheniramine (H1 antagonist), cimetidine (H2 antagonist) and doxepin (both H1 and H2 antagonist). The C. G. K. was significantly lowered only in the rats that had been treated with doxepin in doses of 0.3 and 1 mg/kg/24 h. None of these treatments altered the histamine concentration in the kidney 48 hours after the beginning of the C. G. K. The action of doxepin might pass through mechanisms other than its anti-histaminic activity.
