Cell-mediated cytotoxicity by natural killer and killer cells, lipid peroxidation and glutathione.

In the course of spontaneous cell-mediated cytotoxicity (SCMC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) with human peripheral lymphocytes as effector cells, no lipid peroxidation occurred as measured by the production of ethane and thiobarbituric acid-reactive material. Furthermore, impairment of major cellular defense systems of target cells (K562 cells for SCMC, Chang liver cells for ADCC), by decreasing their glutathione content, had no effect on either lipid peroxidation or the cytotoxic response. These findings indicate that peroxidative damage is not a mechanism of NK and K cell-mediated cytotoxicity.