Estradiol binding capacity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in asymptomatic HBV carriers.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asymptomatic HBV carriers and normal individuals were incubated with 3H-estradiol and cold estradiol at 37 degrees C. The radioactivity bound to these cells was then counted, and the estradiol binding capacity estimated. The estradiol binding capacity of the mononuclear cells was lower in asymptomatic HBV carriers than in normal individuals. This suggested that the unresponsiveness of the mononuclear cells to estrogen in asymptomatic HBV carriers, which we have reported previously, may be due to a deficiency in the estradiol binding capacity.