ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT CELLULAR CYTO-TOXICITY OF HUMAN VASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM IN SYSTEMIC-SCLEROSIS

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 57  (3) , 548-556
Abstract
Sera from 39 patients with systemic sclerosis were examined for a cytotoxic effect on human umbilical vein endothelium. Although none of the sera produced direct cytotoxicity of 51Cr-labeled endothelial cells, even with added complement, 9 sera produced increased 51Cr release when co-cultured with endothelial cells and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The effector cells involved in this cytotoxicity possessed Fc receptors but were non-T and nonadherent, while the responsible serum factor(s) was present in IgG-containing fractions. This cytotoxicity tended to occur in patients with both circulating immune complexes and precipitating antibodies to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens who, as a group, had more severe and extensive visceral disease than those without such serological abnormalities. Control studies using sera from 27 normal controls and 19 patients with either diabetes or extensive atherosclerotic vascular disease failed to reveal any similar cytotoxicity.