Studies on lymphocytotoxicity in acute and chronic liver disease

The cytotoxicity of lymphocytes from patients with chronic active hepatitis, chronic persistent hepatitis, acute hepatitis B and rheumatoid arthritis as well as from normal controls was studied in a microcytotoxicity assay according to COHEN et al. using 125I-iododeoxyuridine labeled embryonal liver cells and Chang cells as target cells. Unfractionated lymphocytes of the peripheral blood from patients with chronic active hepatitis and rheumatoid arthritis showed a high frequency of cytotoxic activity. The lymphocytotoxicity in chronic active hepatitis was significantly increased in comparison to normal controls at the EC/TC of 10:1 and 100:1. Specificity of the cytotoxic reaction to target cells could not be demonstrated. Addition of autologous serum to the cytotoxic assay blocked the lymphocytotoxicity in patients with chronic active hepatitis. A weak potentiating effect on lymphocytotoxicity was observed in patients with hepatitis B after addition of autologous serum. It is discussed that this reaction is due to the presence of HB-antigen in the serum since addition of HB-antigen from other sources increased also the lymphocytotoxicity in hepatitis B patients. This effect was observed neither in HB-antigen positive nor in HB-antigen negative patients with chronic active hepatitis or chronic persistent hepatisis.