Effects of selenium on peripheral blood mononuclear cell membrane fluidity, interleukin-2 production and interleukin-2 receptor expression in patients with chronic hepatitis

AIM: To study the effect of selenium on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) membrane fluidity and immune function in patients with chronic hepatitis. METHODS: PBMCs were pretreated with selenium (1.156x10(-7) mol/L) for 6 h in vitro or extracted directly from patients after administration of selenium-yeast continuously for 8-12 wk (200 mu g/d), and then exposed to Con-A for 48 h. The membrane fluidity, interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression in PBMCs and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in medium and lipid peroxide (LPO) in plasma were determined. RESULTS: The PBMC membrane fluidity, IL-2 production and IL-2R expression in patients with chronic hepatitis were significantly lower than those in healthy blood donators (particle adhesive degree R, 0.17 +/- 0.01 vs 0.14 +/- 0.01, P< 0.01; IL-2, 40.26 +/- 9.55 vs 72.96 +/- 11.36, P< 0.01; IL-2R, 31.05 +/- 5.09 vs 60.58 +/- 10.56, P< 0.01), and the MDA concentration in medium in patients with chronic hepatitis was significantly higher than that in healthy blood donators (1.44 +/- 0.08 vs 0.93 +/- 0.08, P< 0.01). Both in vitro and in vivo administration of selenium could reverse the above parameters. CONCLUSION: Supplement of selenium can suppress lipid peroxidation, and improve PBMC membrane fluidity and immune function in patients with chronic hepatitis.