Lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity in isoniazid-associated hepatitis.

The release of lymphotoxin (LT) from peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with isoniazid (INH)-induced hepatitis was studied, using L929 fibroblast target cells, as was the cytotoxic effect of these lymphocytes on murine hepatoma cells (L1469) and L929 fibroblasts, using a 3H-proline cytotoxicity assay. Evidence for LT release was found in five out of six patients, following stimulation of the peripheral blood lymphocytes with INH or isonicotinic acid (INA) conjugated to human serum albumin. In the direct cytotoxicity assay, cytotoxic effects on the hepatoma cells were enhanced by preincubation of the target cells with INH in five out of six patients tested. Although specificity with regard to the drug was demonstrable, tissue specificity was less certain in that enhanced killing of the fibroblast cell line was also found to occur following preincubation of the L929 cells with INH.