Liver specific autoimmunity and chronic liver disease--an enigmatic relationship.

Refinements in techniques for identifying liver specific immune responses have currently aroused considerable interest in the role of such immunity in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatic disorders. Presence of antibodies against liver cell membrane was tested for in 242 samples of serum and in 86 liver biopsies from patients with liver diseases as well as from controls. Indirect immunofluorescence tests on isolated rabbit hepatocytes and on human liver cells from biopsies respectively were carried out. In the serum, antibody was detected in 16 per cent, several of these cases belonging to the category of recovering acute viral hepatitis and some to chronic hepatitis or to other liver disorders. Serum HBsAg status in these antibody carriers vary. Antibodies on liver cell membrane were detected in approximately 25 per cent cases of hepatitis. The distribution among different cases were like in case of serum positivity. The pathogenetic role of these antibodies in initiation or progression of disease appears doubtful. It is possible that presence of these antibodies merely represents an immune response following liver injury and may not be responsible in causing acute or chronic liver disease.