Membranous expression of Lewis Y antigen in clustered hepatocytes in chronic viral, autoimmune, and alcoholic liver diseases but not in biliary diseases.

The expression of Lewis Y antigen (a blood group-related antigen containing type 2 chain) in hepatocytes was examined immunohistochemically, using the monoclonal antibody F-3, in a total of 530 liver specimens consisting of normal livers and various hepatobiliary diseased livers. Lewis Y was rarely expressed in the hepatocytes in histologically normal livers (20 cases) or in livers from patients with nonspecific reactive change or chronic persistent hepatitis, in viral livers (19 cases), autoimmune etiology livers (3 cases), or acute hepatitis-like change of autoimmune etiology livers (7 cases). In chronic active hepatitis of viral (132 cases) and autoimmune etiology livers (20 cases) with or without cirrhosis, the incidence of membranous expression of Lewis Y in clustered hepatocytes of viral and autoimmune etiology livers was 21 and 0% of mild chronic active hepatitis; 69 and 25% of moderate degree; 85 and 50% of severe degree; and 87 and 100% of cirrhosis, respectively. In alcoholic liver disease (27 cases), the incidence of membranous expression of Lewis Y in clustered hepatocytes was 18, 75, and 100% in mild fibrosis, moderate fibrosis, and cirrhosis, respectively. Such membranous expression of Lewis Y was not found in the early or late stages of the biliary diseases examined, primary biliary cirrhosis (226 cases), primary sclerosing cholangitis (8 cases), or extrahepatic biliary obstruction (22 cases).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)