Hepatic expression of class I and class II major histocompatibility complex molecules in primary biliary cirrhosis: Effect of ursodeoxycholic acid

✍ Scribed by Yvon Calmus; Pierre Gane; Philippe Rouger; Raoul Poupon

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 410 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840110104

✦ Synopsis

Aberrant hepatic expression of HLA molecules has been shown to be present in primary biliary cirrhosis and may play a determining role in the pathogenesis of the disease. We have studied the effect of the long-term administration of ursodeoxycholic acid on hepatic HLA expression. Nine untreated patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, eight patients treated for at least a year with ursodeoxycholic acid and eight control subjects without hepatobiliary disease were compared. HLA expression was studied on liver biopsy sections using a direct immunofluorescence technique with specific monoclonal antibodies directed against class I or class I1 HLA molecules. Aberrant biliary HLA class I1 expression was not modified by chronic administration of ursodeoxycholic acid. In contrast, aberrant hepatocyte HLA class I expression was markedly reduced. Reduction in HLA class I expression may lead to decreased cytotoxic T cell-dependent lobular necrosis, which is thought to contribute to the progression of primary biliary cirrhosis to advanced stages. These findings s u g gest that the beneficial effect of ursodeoxycholic acid treatment in primary biliary cirrhosis could result not only from a reduction in the intrahepatic accumulation of cytotoxic bile acids but also from a reduction in immunological injury. (HEPATOLOGY 1990,11:12-15.)