OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of Bcl-2 and Fas and the apoptosis of T lymphocyte in the peripheral blood of patients with end-stage renal diseases; and to test the impact of various dialysis membranes on the apoptosis of T lymphocyte.METHODS: T lymphocyte was cultured with the stimulation of Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) for 24 h. The apoptosis of T lymphocyte was measured by flow cytometry. The expression of Bcl-2 and Fas was measured with immunohistochemical approach. A total of 10 non-dialyszed (ND) patients, 45 maintenance hemodialysis patients with cellulose acetate (CA) membrane, low-flux (PS-LF) and high-fluxpolusulfone (PS-HF) membrane, and 8 healthy volunteers (HC) participated in the study.RESULTS: The patients with end-stage renal diseases had greater apoptosis of T lymphocyte than healthy volunteers (P < 0.01). The patients undergoing hemodialysis with CA membrane had greater apoptosis of T lymphocyte than those with PS-LF and PS-HF membranes (P < 0.05). The expression of Bcl-2 in T lymphocyte of patients with end-stage renal diseases was lower than that of healthy valunteers (P < 0. 01). The apoptosis of T lymphocyte was negatively correlated with the expression of Bcl-2 (r = -0. 83, P < 0.01). The expression of Fas in T lymphocyte of patients with end-stage renal diseases was greater than that of healthy valunteers (P < 0.01). The apoptosis of T lymphocyte was positively correlated with the expression of Fas (r = 0.81, P < 0.01).CONCLUSION: Patients with end-stage renal diseases may experience accelerated apoptosis of T lymphocyte, which is associated with the high expression of Fas and low expression of Bcl-2 in T lymphocyte. The apoptosis of T lymphocyte is also influenced by the permeability of the dialysis membranes.
Aged Apoptosis