Tohoku

J. exp.

Med.,

1976,

118, 99-100

Short

Phytohemagglutinin-induced Transformation

Lymphocyte

in Liver

Asymptomatic

Report

HBSAg

Diseases

and

in

Carriers

TAKASHI SATO, SUMIO YOSTTTAKTTAKEZAWA

ARAI,

SHozo

NAKAMURA*

and

The First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai and Tohoku University Health Center,* Sendai SATO, T., ARAI, S., NAKAMURA,S. and TAKEZAWA,Y. Phytohemagglutinin induced Lymphocyte Transformation in Liver Diseases and in Asymptomatic HB, A?? Carriers. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1976, 118 (1), 99-100 Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte transformation was impaired in acute viral hepatitis. It was significantly correlated with grades of liver cell damage as shown by prothrombin time, GOT, or GPT. It was also lower in drug-induced hepatitis and in prolonged hepatitis than in controls. Of asymptomatic HB,Ag carriers, only those with minimal hepatic change showed lower values in stimulation index as well as incorporated radioactivity. phytohemagglutinin; lymphocyte transformation; liver diseases; viral hepatitis; HB,Ag carriers Cell-mediated immunity is suggested to determine the severity and persistence of hepatitis B-associated liver cell damage. Although many studies were carried out on phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte transformation in liver diseases and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers, there are diversities of results and in in terpretation (Giustino et al. 1972; Nielsen et al. 1973; Sutnick et al. 1973). Studies were made of 66 subjects. Asymptomatic carriers were divided into 2 groups; healthy carriers and carriers with minimal hepatic change. The latter showed 40-60 units of GOT or GPT, revealed minor histological changes in liver biopsy specimens, or had had 2 or more episodes of jaundice previously. Five

ml

of

Hank's

balanced

washed

in

10% l of

salt

HBSS,

autologous PHA-P

supplemented were

heparinized

venous solution

4 •~ 105 plasma.

(Difco). with

leucocytes Each

All 5%

blood

CO2.

were

(HBSS)

and were

culture

cultures 1

mixed were

cultured was

were

with left in

LƒÊCi of 3H-thymidine

37•Ž

1 ml

performed incubated

one-third

at

in for was

volume for

of

45

RPMI

triplicate 72

hr added

of

min. 1640 with

at

37•Ž and

4

3%

gelatin

After

being

medium or

with

without

in

humidified

hr

later

0.2 ƒÊ air

the

cells

harvested.

As shown in Fig. 1, PHA stimulated lymphocyte transformation measured as incorporat ed radioactivity was significantly lower than controls in acute stage of acute viral hepatitis with and without HBSAg (p