title: Immunoregulatory functional abnormalities in children affected by HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis: role of prostaglandins in T-mediated suppression.
abstract: Suppressor cell function was evaluated in children affected by HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis. Circulating concanavalin A- (ConA) precultured lymphocytes failed to suppress the proliferative response of autologous responder cells to a mitogen. In four of eight patients with a failure of ConA-induced suppressor activity, indomethacin added during the induction phase of T suppressor cells abolished the defect, indicating that prostaglandin-producing adherent cells may influence ConA-induced suppressor activity. An inverse relationship between suppressor cell activity and the number of suppressor/cytotoxic subsets defined by the OK T8 monoclonal antibody was found. Our findings strongly support the hypothesis that an abnormality in the immunoregulatory system plays a role in the pathogenesis of HBsAg-related chronic active hepatitis. It is also suggested that non-T regulatory cells are implicated in the immunological abnormality in chronic active hepatitis.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000502:physiology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D008934:Mitogens; D011453:Prostaglandins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D007213:Indomethacin