Hyperglobulinaemia in chronic liver disease: relationships between in vitro immunoglobulin synthesis, short lived suppressor cell activity and serum immunoglobulin levels.

In a group of patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD), including both chronic active hepatitis of 'immunological' type and alcoholic cirrhosis, simultaneous measurements were made of serum immunoglobulin levels, in vitro synthesis of immunoglobulin by peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and in vitro short lived suppressor cell activity. In both forms of CLD, decreased short lived suppressor cell activity was found. There was a strong linear correlation between the amount of IgG released into supernatant of 7 day in vitro cultures and the serum IgG levels amongst patients with CLD. There was also a strong inverse correlation in the patient group between in vitro synthesis of IgG and IgA and the suppressor cell activity measured in the same cell population, suggesting that the short lived suppressor cell test may reflect activity of cells modulating immunoglobulin both in vitro and in vivo.