[Cellular immunity and the autoantibody system in polymyositis and dermatomyositis]

Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are clinical forms of inflammatory muscle diseases of unknown etiology. Cellular immunity seems to have great importance in pathogenesis of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. It is well known that specifically sensitised lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis may secrete various mediators (e. g. lymphokines) and be cytotoxic to muscle cell tissue culture as well. In recent years, a variety of anti-muscle antibodies and antibodies to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens have been identified in the serum of patients with idiopathic inflammatory muscle disease, but their role in this clinical syndrome is still unknown. In this review article authors bring out some of the current state of knowledge about polymyositis and dermatomyositis related autoantibody systems, including biochemical characteristics of the target antigens, epidemiological and clinical significance, and possible role of these autoantibodies in the development of the disease.