Abstract
The killer (K) cell population of peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined by the plaque technique in 35 patients with renal glomerular diseases and 15 normal subjects. The K-cell population correlated well with the antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity estimated by measurement of 51Cr released from labeled target cells. The normal controls showed a K-cell population of 6.5plusmn;1.7 (meanplusmn;S.D.) %, while some patients with various type of chronic glomerulonephritis (GN) and those with poststreptococcal acute GN had marked depression during the active stage, ie, in all four cases of poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, 17 of 19 cases of primary chronic glomerulonephritis, one case of lupus nephritis and one case of HPs associated nephropathy, a low K-cell population was observed. The decrease of peripheral blood lymphocyte K-cell population was conspicuous in diffuse mesangial proliferative GN and membranoproliferative GN, compared to focal mesangial proliferative GN among various histologic forms of primary chronic GN. A dose-dependent suppression in vitro by adding aggregated IgG of the K-cell population of normal peripheral blood lymphocytes was observed. Furthermore, there was clinical evidence of inverse correlation between the concentration of circulating immune complexes and the K-cell population . It was inferred from the data that the depression of K-cell population in the patients with active phase of acute and chronic GN might be ascribed to inhibition by immune complexes . Such depression was observed, however, in three of nine cases of nephrotic syndrome negative for immune complex as well. This suggests possible participation of some inhibitory factor (s) other than immune complex and points to necessity for further investigation.
