Impaired myocyte function in vitro incubated with sera from patients with myocarditis.
Sera positive for antimyolemmal antibodies (AMLAs) from patients with acute biopsy-proven myocarditis exerted a cytotoxic effect on cardiocytes stimulated in vitro. Using an edge-detecting system, contraction amplitude and contraction velocity were altered after the addition of AMLA-positive sera when compared to sera from healthy controls. Antibodies alone did not change the functional parameters. Only the presence of complement and heart-reactive antibodies mediated the detrimental effects. This suggests that a complement-mediated antibody-dependent immune mechanism is operative in human myocarditis.
Philipps University, Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Marburg, Germany.
L
L
Drude
F
F
Wiemers
B
B
Maisch
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D012508:Sarcolemma / Q000276:immunology
D000906:Antibodies; D003165:Complement System Proteins