Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity of mononuclear cells against Langerhans islets of Wistar rats in normal man and in patients at diabetes risk.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against pancreatic islets was investigated in 13 newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetics, in 38 patients at high risk for the disease and in 20 age-matched healthy controls. For this purpose 51Cr-labeled neonatal rat pancreatic islets incubated with the specific anti-rat islet cell antiserum 339 or with serum of the lymphocyte donors were used as targets. The antibody-mediated cytotoxic activity of mononuclear cells was evaluated from the specific chromium release after 6 h exposure of pretreated islets to the effector cells. The specific cytotoxic effect of mononuclear cells from healthy controls on pancreatic islets pretreated with serum is weak. ADCC mediated by the specific antirat islet cell antiserum is significantly increased in 54% of newly diagnosed diabetics as well as in 32% of patients at high risk for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. 46% of the newly diagnosed diabetics were also ADCC-positive when their own serum was used for the pretreatment of islets, regardless of whether they were islet cell antibody- or islet cell surface antibody positive or not. Subsets of mononuclear cells (non E-rosette-forming cells, high affinity E-rosette-forming cells, low affinity E-rosette-forming cells) were prepared and their cytotoxic potential was analysed in patients with positive ADCC test results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)