Functional analysis of eicosanoids from white blood cells in sepsis and SIRS

Sepsis and SIRS are affections with major alterations in inflammatory activity. The impact of prostaglandins (PG) and leukotrienes (LT) produced from white blood cells (WBC) in this context is not completely understood. Thirty nine patients with sepsis or SIRS were investigated in comparison to 10 healthy controls. WBC were collected and separately exposed to arachidonic acid (AA) or to nothing else. After centrifugation, the generated PGE(2) and LTCDE(4) with or without stimulation were measured in the supernatant. LT-levels were significantly higher during sepsis/SIRS than in controls whereas PG-levels of patients were decreased to those of controls in basic condition. The relation between the level with and without stimulation showed a significant higher ratio in PG in contrast to LTs. The survivor's ratio in LT levels was significantly higher than that of non-survivors, which did not differ from controls. Generation of LT from WBC is enhanced during sepsis/SIRS, but LT generation after stimulation only in survivors but not in non-survivors. This inability of WBC to generate LT during sepsis in non-survivors could be predictive regarding the outcome of sepsis/SIRS and may be part of the "immunoparalysis" seen during sepsis in association with bad outcome.