Protective effect of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 on isolated rat hepatocytes against complement-mediated immune attack.

16,16-Dimethyl prostaglandin E2 was examined for its ability to inhibit complement-mediated in vitro hepatocytolysis by an antigen-antibody reaction. In the presence of fresh rat serum as a source of complement, 5-min culture of isolated rat hepatocytes with a monoclonal antibody against a rat liver-specific membranous antigen resulted in a marked, significant elevation in lactate dehydrogenase leakage into the culture medium. However, with heat-inactivated rat serum, such a reaction did not occur, indicating that the hepatocytolysis induced by the antibody was attributable to the membrane damaging action of complement activated by an antigen-antibody reaction. Pretreatment of the hepatocyte with 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 significantly suppressed the cytolytic reaction induced by the antibody in a concentration-dependent manner. These results show that 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 is capable of protecting isolated rat hepatocytes against the membrane-damaging insult of activated complement.