Natural Killer Cells in the Liver and Their Activators

  • Masatoshi Tanaka
  • Miki Shirachi
  • Masahiro Shimada
  • Yoshihiro Shimauchi
  • Ryoko Kuromatsu
  • Michio Sata
  • Kyuichi Tanikawa
Conference paper

Summary

An impaired host defense mechanism is well known in patients with liver cirrhosis. To clarify the sight of natural resistance in the liver, we investigated hepatic natural killer (NK) activity, and a proportion of the NK cells in the hepatic sinusoids of normal and cirrhotic rats. Using a sinusoidal lavage method, liver-associated lymphocytes were obtained from normal and cirrhotic rats that were established using thioacetamide. NK activity was measured by 51Cr-release assay, and the NK cell count was measured by flow cytometric analysis using monoclonal antibodies. In addition, OK432 (a pharmaceutical preparation of α-Streptococcus pyrogens), Shosaiko-to (a Chinese herbal medicine), and interferon-α were administered to experimental rats and the subsequent changes in hepatic NK activity and the NK cell count were also observed. Not only hepatic NK activity, but also the proportion of hepatic NK cells were significantly lower in cirrhotic rats than in control rats. Hepatic NK activity and NK cell count in the liver increased significantly after the administration of NK cell activators such as OK432 and Sho-saiko-to. After the administration of interferon-α, there was also as increase in the previously reduced hepatic NK activity and NK cell count of cirrhotic rats. The results of this study may lead to a clearer understanding of the host defense mechanism in cirrhotic patients.

Key words

Hepatic NK activity NK cell OK432 Sho-saiko-to IFN-α 
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Tokyo 1999

Authors and Affiliations

  • Masatoshi Tanaka
    • 1
  • Miki Shirachi
    • 1
  • Masahiro Shimada
    • 1
  • Yoshihiro Shimauchi
    • 1
  • Ryoko Kuromatsu
    • 1
  • Michio Sata
    • 1
  • Kyuichi Tanikawa
    • 1
  1. 1.The Second Department of Internal MedicineKurume University School of MedicineKurume, FukuokaJapan

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