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Immunoelectron microscopic observations on Leu-7 positive cells in virus-related chronic liver diseases

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Abstract

We investigated the liver biopsies of 78 patients with hepatitis virus-related chronic liver diseases (B type; 14 patients, C type; 64 patients) by immunoelectron microscopy with the Leu-7 monoclonal antibody in order to determine the association of NK/K cells in virus-related chronic liver diseases. Most Leu-7 positive cells in the liver had the Pit cell morphology but a few Pit cells were Leu-7 negative. A few Leu-7 positive cells had neither Pit cell nor typical T cell morphology. No ultrastructural difference was observed in Leu-7 positive cells between hepatitis B virus- and hepatitis C virus-related chronic liver diseases. Regardless of virus type and hepatitis activity, the fine morphology of extravascular Leu-7 positive cells differed considerably from intravascular cells. Leu-7 positive cells were regularly seen in the cellular infiltrates but the ratio of Leu-7 positive cells/whole infiltrates was low. There was no correlation between the inflammatory activity of the disease and the level of Leu-7 positive cell infiltration. A virus aetiology (hepatitis-C or hepatitis-B) did not affect Leu-7 positive cell infiltration. We conclude that NK cells play only a small role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus-related hepatocytolysis, during the chronic stage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Internal Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, 783, Kochi, Japan

    H. Himeno, T. Saibara, S. Onishi & Y. Yamamoto

  2. First Department of Pathology, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, 783, Kochi, Japan

    H. Enzan

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  1. H. Himeno
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  2. T. Saibara
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  3. S. Onishi
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  4. Y. Yamamoto
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  5. H. Enzan
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Himeno, H., Saibara, T., Onishi, S. et al. Immunoelectron microscopic observations on Leu-7 positive cells in virus-related chronic liver diseases. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 424, 471–476 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00191431

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00191431

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