A circulating inhibitor of leucocyte sodium transport in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis.

Leucocyte sodium efflux was measured in control leucocytes pre-incubated for 90 min with serum from patients with advanced liver cirrhosis. Serum from patients with advanced alcoholic liver cirrhosis was inhibitory to sodium transport in control leucocytes. The degree of inhibition was similar to that seen in the patients' own leucocytes; the defect induced by patient serum was primarily inhibition of ouabain-insensitive sodium efflux, whereas in the patients' own leucocytes, inhibition was seen in both ouabain-sensitive and -insensitive sodium efflux, as shown previously. The results suggest that a circulating factor, present in patients with advanced cirrhosis, is capable of inhibiting sodium transport in leucocytes.