Increased Levels of Histone In Human Plasma In Septic Patients with DIC.

Abstract 1422

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state (called a systemic inflammatory response syndrome, SIRS). Histones are essential for packing DNA into the cell nucleus and also play role in regulating gene expression but the new study (Jun Xu et al, Nature Medicine 15. 1318, 2009) have shown histones released into blood stream at the onset of sepsis can have devastating effects (endothelial damage and organ failure etc). However, about extracellular histones in the plasma from human, they have shown only one patient's data. Therefore, we measured extracellular hisotones in the plasma from septic patients with DIC (n=20). Also, we investigated extracellular hisotones in the plasma from septic patients without DIC (n=5). Extracellular histones in the plasma from human were examined by western blot analysis for histone H3 (H3).

The thrombin antithrombin complexes (TAT) levels were higher in septic patients with DIC as reported by others. We detected high levels of extracellular hisotones (H3) in the plasma of all septic patients with DIC by western blotting. However, we did not find any extracellular histones (H3) in the plasma of fiver septic patients without DIC by western blotting. Moreover, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) concentrations in the human plasma were determined using ELISA kit (Shino-Test, Japan). Plasma levels of HMBG1 were negative for four cases in 20 septic patients with DIC. Also, Plasma levels of HMBG1 were negative in septic patients without DIC.

These results suggest that assess of extracellular hisotones in the plasma may be helpful in the making the diagnosis in septic patients with DIC. It appears that extracellular hisotones in the plasma may contribute to develop DIC in patients with sepsis.