[A comparative study of the mitochondrial membrane phospholipid localization of lymphocytes from peripheral blood with myocardial cells in patients with chronic heart failure].

Alterations of the membrane integrity of myocardial cells may be involved in the development of heart failure. In the present study, the lymphocytes from peripheral blood were used as a study model from which were observed the cytochemical ultrastructural localization of membrane phospholipids (PL) of mitochondria (Mi) in 28 heart patients with heart failure (HF) and 10 cases without HF history and 9 healthy controls by modified Demer's tricomplex flocculation. The myocardium was sampled during the operation in 20 of them. In HF, an increase consistency with NYHA heart function stages in the number of Mi per individual lymphocyte was observed, while the PL localization of Mi cristae showed different loss. The worse the heart function, higher the ratios of Mi in almost total loss of the localization: 32.6 +/- 8.7% (sx-) in IV, 30.8 +/- 8.8% in III, 10.4 +/- 2.7% in II, 13.6 +/- 3.7% in I vs 6.3 +/- 1.3% in the healthy controls (P < 0.01). The changes were closely parallel to those of the myocardium, 24.6 +/- 4.8% in the class III-IV. 6.9 +/- 1.3% in II, 3.9 +/- 0.5% in I vs 1.7 +/- 0.2% in the controls, P < 0.01, and were related to the dimension of left atrium. It was suggested that the changes have significance in learning the mechanisms of myocardial failure and could be used as an injury indicator of myocardium.