[Specific cell-mediated cytotoxicity in patients with cerebral infarct]

The purpose of the work was to assess changes in the activity of cytotoxic lymphocates in patients with cerebral infarction. The material comprised 27 patients with the diagnosis of cerebral infarction and 18 controls. The authors analyzed the activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes, against the cerebral antigen-encephalitogenic peptide (EP). As target cells they used syngenic lymphocytes coated with EP and labelled with 51Cr, the activity of which released during reaction with supernatan is proportional to the amount of cells disrupted by cytotoxic lymphocytes. The reaction is specific for the encephalitogenic peptide. The activity of specific cytotoxic lymphocytes was in patients with cerebral infarction almost four times higher than in controls. The percentage activity was higher in "seriously affected patients" and two weeks after the onset of the disease. Then the activity declined. Investigation of the activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes could prove important in patients with cerebral infarction with symptoms of sensitization against cerebral antigen.