Enhanced neutrophil apoptosis in neutropenic patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis: evidence of serum Fas ligand.

Enhanced neutrophil apoptosis has been reported in neutropenic hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. The shortening of neutrophil survival via apoptosis may explain the neutropenia that occur in these patients. However, the regulation of neutrophil apoptosis in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis has not been clearly defined. Neutrophils harvested from neutropenic patients with hepatosplenic (HS) schistosomiasis, (n=25), non-neutropenic patients with hepatointestinal (HI) schistosomiasis (n=10), and age-/gender-matched healthy control subjects (n=10) were incubated with autologous serum. Neutrophils apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry through determination of propidium iodide nuclear staining and confirmed by DNA gel electrophoresis at 0 (i.e. fresh neutrophils), 4 and 24 h culture. Neutrophils from healthy subjects were also incubated with either 10% heterologous normal or neutropenic serum, with and without anti-Fas ligand antibody. Fas expression was assessed in fresh neutrophils using flow cytometry. Compared with normal healthy neutrophils, and HI neutrophils, neutropenic neutrophils demonstrated greater apoptosis in the presence of autologous serum (P<0.01, 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, compared with normal neutrophils exposed to heterologous normal serum, those exposed to heterologous neutropenic serum exhibited higher apoptosis rates ( P<0.01). Moreover, anti-Fas L antibody attenuated the neutropenic serum-induced neutrophil apoptosis in normal neutrophils. Fas expression was significantly higher in the neutropenic group when compared to both HI and normal healthy controls (P<0.05). In addition, Fas expression by neutrophils was paralleled by high neutrophil apoptosis. On the other hand, neutrophil apoptosis was not correlated to the size of spleen in neutropenic group. In conclusion, the rate of neutrophil apoptosis is accelerated in patients with neutropenic hepatosplenic schistosomiasisis. These findings suggest that the enhanced neutrophil apoptosis that occurs in neutropenic HS patients is triggered by a serum factor, which is mostly a Fas ligand.