Studies on the mechanism of liver injury by antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)--partial purification of cytotoxic factor detected in the culture supernatant of ADCC reaction.

Liver cell damage is inducible when isolated liver cells coated with the specific antibody against the liver cell membrane are cultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Moreover, a cytotoxic material (or materials) causing an inhibition of protein synthesis in liver cells was detected in culture supernatant of these antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) reactions. By gel filtration using a Sephadex C-75 column, the active material (materials) was recovered in a definitive fraction and was further fractionated into two portions by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. These active principles were shown by isoelectric focusing electrophoresis to be different substances from each other. These results suggest that some cytotoxic or cytostatic materials are produced in consequence of ADCC reaction and these may cause liver injury.