BACKGROUND: This study was aimed at following the changes in the expression of CD38 ADP-ribosyl cyclase ectoenzyme on peripheral blood immune cells of patients undergoing cardiac surgical operations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of CD38 on lymphoid and myeloid cells was determined by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry in forty cardiac surgical patients assigned to surgery either using ("on-pump", n=20) or without the use ("off-pump", n=20) of cardiopulmonary bypass. RESULTS: There was a very rapid upregulation of CD38 expression in "on-pump" patients, becoming significant at declamping of aorta (p<0.01) for myeloid cells and at the weaning from CPB (p<0.001) for lymphocytes. The increased expression of CD38 on lymphocytes in "off-pump" patients was prolonged for the entire observation period. However, significant differences in the expression of CD38 between "on-pump" and "off-pump" patients were not found either in lymphoid or myeloid cells. CONCLUSION: CD38 expression in immune cells of cardiac surgical patients is upregulated early during surgery, providing additional activation stimuli to the cell substrate of the inflammatory response induced by cardiac surgery.

Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology Charles University Prague Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Hradec Kralove Czech Republic