[Identification and analysis of immune cells infiltrating into the glomerulus and interstitium in lupus nephritis]

This study was performed to investigate the role of cell-mediated immunity in lupus nephritis (LN). Frozen sections from 38 patients with LN were examined by indirect immunoalkaline-phosphatase labeling using monoclonal antibodies to identify the immune cells infiltrating into the interstitium and glomerulus. 14 patients showed minor glomerular abnormality (MGA), 9 had mesangial LN (MesLN), 12 had diffuse proliferative LN (DPLN) and 3 had membranous LN (MLN). Monocyte/macrophage and helper/inducer T cells infiltrated in the interstitium predominantly, but intraglomerular infiltration of these cells was rare. Monocyte/macrophage and suppressor/cytotoxic T cell levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the interstitium in DPLN patients and monocyte/macrophage level was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in MesLN patients than in MGA patients. In the interstitium, serum creatinine level was highly correlated with infiltrations of suppressor/cytotoxic T cell, monocyte/macrophage (p < 0.01), pan T cell and total leucocyte (p < 0.05). Clinical activity score was correlated with suppressor/cytotoxic T cell (p < 0.001), monocyte/macrophage and pan T cell (p < 0.01). These results suggest that suppressor/cytotoxic T cell and and monocyte/macrophage may play an important role in the progression of lupus nephritis.