[Immunopathological analysis of T and non-T cell involvement in corneal inflammation caused by HSV type-1 infection]

In herpetic keratitis, the role of T cell subsets is not clearly understood although the involvement of cell-mediated immunity has been reported. The purpose of this paper is to analyse T cell-mediated immunopathological conditions and the role of non-T cell lineage in herpetic stromal keratitis employing nude (nu/nu) and Balb/c mice. All mice were divided into three groups. Group 1: Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-inoculated nu/nu mice. Group 2: HSV-1-inoculated nu/nu mice with interleukin-2 (IL-2). Group 3: HSV-1-inoculated Balb/c mice. The conditions of the disease were compared in those three groups clinically and by using histological and immunopathological staining. Following antibodies were employed: anti-Asialo GMI (natural killer). anti-Thy 1 (pan-T). anti-L3T4 (helper/inducer), anti-Lyt 2 (suppressor/killer), anti-Mac 3 (macrophage), anti-Mice Immunoglobulins (monocyte. B.). Corneal lesions showed a reduced inflammatory tendency in nu/nu mice. Topical application of IL-2 in nu/nu mice induced moderate stromal inflammation compared with nu/nu mice. However, the severity of these was less than in Balb/c. Many natural killer cells (NK) were found in nu/nu mice but few in Balb/c mice. These results confirm the involvement of T-cell mediated immunity in stromal inflammation and indicate that NK cell may have an important role in suppressed T-cell immunity in nu/nu mice but are not involved in stromal inflammation.