Immunologic Studies in Patients with Chronic Active Hepatitis and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis I. Cytotoxic Activity and Binding of Sera to Human Liver Cells Grown in Tissue Culture 1

Abstract

Summary

Sera from patients with chronic active hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis containing a variety of antibodies (smooth muscle, mitochondria, nuclei) as well as hepatitis B antigen failed to show a cytotoxic activity against autologous liver cells, heterologous liver cells, Chang liver cells or other cell lines of nonhepatic sources. Cytotoxicity was measured by the microassay technique using morphologic evaluation and counting of surviving cells, and by ⁵¹Cr release from labeled cells.

Lack of cytotoxicity was observed in spite of reactivity of antibodies with cultured liver cells. Mitochondrial antibodies stained the cells diffusely; smooth muscle antibodies bound to the cells in a filamentous pattern.