Lymphocyte cytotoxicity to autologous liver cells in chronic active hepatitis

Lymphocyte function in vitro was evaluated in patients with chronic active hepatitis and compared to normal controls. Circulating lymphocytes of patients were spontaneously cytotoxic to 51Cr-labeled human Chang liver cells and to suspensions of autologous liver cells obtained at the time of liver biopsy when tested at a lymphocyte target cell ratio of 200:1. Prednisone treatment of patients with chronic active hepatitis inhibited both spontaneous and concanavalin A-stimulated lymphocyte cytotoxicity to human Chang liver cells. Similarly, chronic prednisone administration substantially reduced lymphocyte cytotoxicity towards the patients' own liver cells in vitro, which correlated with a clinical, biochemical, and histological response to such therapy. Thus, patients with chronic hepatitis have circulating lymphocytes that are capable of causing destruction of their own liver cells in vitro. The beneficial effect of prednisone therapy in such patients may be related to this inhibition of lymphocyte cytotoxicity.