The changes of protein kinase C activity in peripheral blood lymphocytes in the patients with obstructive jaundice and the implication.

The roles of protein kinase C (PKC) signal pathway in the pathogenesis of obstructive jaundice were studied. PKC from cytosolic and membrane fractions of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in 51 patients with obstructive jaundice and 16 cases of normal controls was isolated and purified. The activities of PKC were determined by radioactive isotope gamma-32P-ATP-catalyzing assay. The results showed that the total PKC activities in PBL in the patients with obstructive jaundice were significantly increased as compared with those in the normal controls (P < 0.01). Moreover, the membrane PKC activities and their percentages of the total PKC activities were higher in obstructive jaundice group than in those in the normal controls (P < 0.05). The total PKC activities in PBL in the patients with obstructive jaundice were significantly positively correlated with the levels of soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) (r = 0.58, P < 0.01) and the degree of jaundice (T-BIL) (r = 0.67, P < 0.01) in serum. It was concluded that the activities of PKC signal pathway was related with the degree of T-BIL. PKC signal pathway might took part in the activation of T-lymphocytes in the patients with obstructive jaundice and play an important role in the immune regulation and the assessment of pathosis in the patients with obstructive jaundice.