Lytic effect of cytotoxic lymphocytes on oral epithelial cells in Behçet's disease

The effect of blood lymphocytes on syngeneic oral epithelial cells was studied in twelve patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and twenty-one patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU). The control group consisted of twenty-five patients with non-aphthous skin disease and eight healthy individuals. Primary cell lines obtained from oral mucosa by suction blistering and subsequent enzymatic dissociation were used as target cells. Using a modified 51chromium release macro-assay, a significant lytic effect due to antibody-independent lymphocytotoxicity could be demonstrated in patients with BD, but no significant lysis of target cells was found in the RAU patients compared with the control group. These results provide further evidence that antibody-independent lymphocytotoxicity may play an important role in oral ulceration in BD.