Untoward effects associated with practolol: demonstration of antibody binding to epithelial tissue.

An antibody which sticks to the intercellular region of xenogenic epidermal tissue has been shown by indirect immunofluorescence to be present in the serum of patients with practolol-induced eye damage. These antibodies and those found in patients with pemphigus were compared for their ability to bind to isolated epidermal cells. Binding was achieved only with the pemphigus antibody, which suggests that it may have a different specificity from the antibody associated with practolol-induced eye damage.