Induction of liver cell injury by antibody-dependent monocyte-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro.

The isolated liver cells coated with the anti-liver cell membrane antibody were damaged by incubation with the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. This was demonstrated by measuring the reduction of protein synthesis in the target liver cells. Adherent cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells were shown to have a sufficient capacity acting on the isolated liver cells as an effector when they were separated from the peripheral blood of normal and patients with acute or chronic active hepatitis. However, those from patients with liver cirrhosis or hepatoma did not show such effector activity in antibody-dependent cell-mediated liver cell damage. These results suggest that possibly antibody-dependent macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity may play some role in the induction of liver cell injury because the anti-hepatocyte membrane antibody is frequently detected in patient's sera, especially in those with chronic active hepatitis.