Lysosomal enzymes and superoxide production in polymorphonuclear leukocytes of patients with primary varicose veins.

In order to clarify the role of reactive oxygen species and lysosomal enzymes in the etiopathogenesis of varicose veins, the investigation of their activities in serum and peripheral neutrophils of 17 patients with primary varicose veins was done. The mean activities of acid phosphatase, beta-D-glucuronidase (BDG) and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase were higher in serum of patients with varicose veins than in serum of normal subjects. However, the mean BDG activity was lower in the patients' neutrophils and the activities of elastase and myeloperoxidase were higher than in clinically healthy persons. No changes have been observed in the lysozyme activity. The neutrophils of patients with varicose veins had a greater ability to increase superoxide production after their stimulation with opsonized zymosan or phorbol myristate acetate than the neutrophils of normal subjects, while no differences were found in the total reduction of iodonitrotetrazolium (INT) incubated with these leukocytes. The results may represent another piece of evidence suggesting the activation and involvement of neutrophils in pathogenesis of chronic venous insufficiency of lower limbs.