The rate of clearance of extracellular plasma
DNA in man has important implications for pathogenetic mechanisms in
systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as for certain other clinical states. Present knowledge of this parameter is derived exclusively from studies of injected, naked
DNA in animals. Recent information indicates that the physiologic form of plasma
DNA in SLE is that of oligonucleosome-like molecules rather than of naked
DNA and consists of multimeric complexes of
DNA bound to
histone, probably arising from an apoptotic process. In order to study the rate at which these oligonucleosome-like complexes are removed from plasma and to do so in man rather than experimental animals, we exploited the observation that during haemodialysis large amounts of
DNA are released, apparently within the dialysis coil, into the patient's plasma. Since this release appears to cease promptly with termination of the procedure, it offered the potential for estimating the rate of removal of such
DNA from human plasma. Moreover, if that
DNA, as postulated, were shown to possess an oligonucleosome-like structure resembling that found endogenously in human SLE, the relevance of such information to the human disease state would be further enhanced. The present results support the conclusion that
DNA released into plasma during haemodialysis possesses such an oligonucleosome-like structure. The plasma half-life of that
DNA in man was found not to exceed 4 min. The highly dynamic state thus implied for extracellular endogenous plasma
DNA in man has important implications for pathogenetic mechanisms dependent on dsDNA in SLE. Moreover, individuals undergoing chronic haemodialysis, who are thereby exposed to a very large cumulative amount of such
DNA, might serve as models for studying its long-term sequelae.