Serum inhibition of complement derived leukocyte chemotaxis and levels of immunoglobulin A subclass in alcoholic liver disease.

Serum inhibition of complement-derived leukocyte chemotaxis was examined in alcoholic liver disease with or without cirrhosis. Chemotactic inhibitory activity (CIA) was detected with higher frequency and degree in alcoholic liver disease, especially with liver cirrhosis compared with normal subjects and non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis. CIA was found in anti-IgA adsorbed fractions in the sera of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Serum concentrations of IgA1 and IgA2 in alcoholic liver disease were statistically higher than in non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis. However, no correlation between CIA and the concentrations of IgA subclasses was demonstrated in alcoholic liver disease. This serum inhibitor may partly explain the high susceptibility to bacterial infection in alcoholic liver disease.