European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Jan 2011
Peritoneal macrophage priming in cirrhosis is related to ERK phosphorylation and IL-6 secretion.
Bacterial infections are common complications arising in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. Translocation of bacterial DNA is a dynamic process that is associated with an increased inflammatory response and a poor prognosis in this setting. The aim of this study was to study whether peritoneal macrophages remain in a chronic primed status to allow a rapid response to subsequent events of bacterial translocation. ⋯ A sustained immune response is present in ascitic fluid of cirrhotic patients, even in the temporal absence of bacterial antigens. This would facilitate a fast response, probably controlled by IL-6, against repeated bacterial-DNA translocation or in liver chronic inflammation.