PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Trevisan, A
AU  - Cavigli, R
AU  - Meliconi, R
AU  - Stefanini, G F
AU  - Zotti, S
AU  - Rugge, M
AU  - Noventa, F
AU  - Betterle, C
AU  - Realdi, G
TI  - Detection of immunoglobulins G and A on the cell membrane of hepatocytes from patients with alcoholic liver disease.
AID  - 10.1136/jcp.36.5.530
DP  - 1983 May 01
TA  - Journal of Clinical Pathology
PG  - 530--534
VI  - 36
IP  - 5
4099  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/36/5/530.short
4100  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/36/5/530.full
SO  - J Clin Pathol1983 May 01; 36
AB  - The presence of immunoglobulins (Ig) G, A, and M and of complement fractions (C3-C4) on the liver cell surface was investigated by direct immunofluorescence in 40 patients with alcoholic liver disease. IgG was detected on the liver cell membrane with a linear staining pattern in 29 patients. The percentage of IgG-positive hepatocytes correlated with transaminase activities, independently of the histological findings. IgA was demonstrable with a coarse granular staining pattern in 11 of the 14 cases with established cirrhosis. The finding of IgG bound to the hepatocyte surface in patients with alcohol-induced liver damage suggests that alcohol could be responsible for antigenic modifications of hepatocyte membrane with consequent triggering of a humoral immune response.