Immunologic Aspects of Liver Disease

Abstract

Circumstantial evidence indicates that immune processes play a role in some liver diseases. However, the mechanism of tissue injury is unknown, and lack of a suitable experimental model hinders research. While antibodies to smooth muscle, mitochondria and nuclei are important in diagnosis, there is no evidence of direct or immune-complex cytotoxicity. Cell-mediated immunity also seems to have a role in the pathogenesis of some liver diseases, but little is known about the organ specificity and the composition of the antigens. Knowledge of how Australia antigen may trigger harmful immunologic reactions awaits future studies.