Proliferation and immunoglobulin synthesis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with chronic liver disease stimulated by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1 and interleukin 2.

Proliferation and IgG synthesis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to stimulation with recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) and Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1 (SAC) were evaluated in 32 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH), chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and liver cirrhosis (LC). Eleven patients had serum HBe antigen, 10 presented with HBe antibody and 11 had non-A, non-B hepatitis. IgG synthesis of PBMC induced with the two stimuli was significantly decreased in patients with CAH and LC when compared with that of controls. However, the generated amounts of IgG were not associated with the HB virus carrier state. B cells and T4+ cells were responsible for the diminished IgG synthesis in patients with CAH and LC when assessed by coculture experiments. On the other hand, proliferative response of PBMC to IL-2 and SAC were similar in controls and patient groups. These findings indicate that IgG production level of PBMC stimulated with IL-2 and SAC can reflect the severity of the underlying disease in chronic hepatitis patients.