Peripheral immunofluorescence of hepatocytes. Relation to smooth muscle antibodies and bile canaliculi.

By means of indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, a peripheral fluorescence reaction with hepatocytes was found, surrounding the entire cell, with sera from patients with cancer and acute hepatitis and from normal blood donors. It was proved that this reaction was not related to bile canaliculi, contrary to bile canaliculi antibody demonstrated previously from patients with chronic active liver disease. By using fluorescein-conjugated anti-human IgG, the reaction with the periphery of the hepatocytes was produced to a more or less pronounced degree with almost all sera studied. The reaction seems not to be directed against contractile proteins on the liver cell membrane as only a minor part of these sera had also IgG smooth-muscle antibody, and anti actomyosin antibody obtained by affinity chromatografy did not react with the hepatocyte. When applying fluorescein-conjugated anti-human IgM the reaction with the periphery of the hepatocytes was observed in one fourth of the patients with acute hepatitis and only sera which contained also IgM smooth-muscle antibody.