Liver membrane antibodies in alcoholic liver disease II. Antibodies to ethanol-altered hepatocytes

SUMMARY Using an indirect immunofluorescence technique, circulating liver membrane anti-bodies against normal rabbit hepatocytes and ethanol-altered rabbit hepatocytes have been sought in a series of patients with histologically confirmed alcoholic liver disease. Liver mem-brane antibodies against normal hepatocytes were found in 18 (28%) of the 65 sera examined, but with ethanol-altered hepatocytes as substrate liver membrane antibodies were found in 48 (74%) of the sera. Isolation of F(ab')2 fragments confirmed that the positive results were due to antibody binding. Liver membrane antibodies against ethanol-altered hepatocytes are peculiar to alcoholic liver disease, and there is a similar incidence in the various histological types of alcoholic liver disease. Absorption studies suggest that the liver membrane antibodies are directed against new or altered antigens which are not present in normal hepatocytes. These new or altered antigens may also appear after pretreatment with other primary alcohols and seem likely to be induced by a haptenic effect of the alcohol or a metabolic break-down product. These studies represent a novel approach to the further investigation of the possible role of immuno-logical mechanisms in alcohol-induced liver injury. In the past few years there has been considerabl