Effect of neonatal thymectomy on experimental autoimmune hepatitis in mice

Abstract

Using an autoimmune hepatitis model of A/J mice which was prepared with immunization of syngeneic liver proteins, various influences by neonatal thymectomy were studied from observations of histological liver changes, autoantibody to liver-specific membrane lipoprotein (LSP) preparation, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to LSP preparation and purified protein derivative (PPD). The liver changes in the thymectomized mice were more intensive than those in the non-thymectomized controls. Anti-LSP preparation autoantibodies and DTH to LSP preparation were positive in both groups of the thymectomized mice and the non-thymectomized controls, but the levels of those were higher in the former than the latter. Meanwhile, regarding the level of DTH to PPD, the former was lower than the latter. These results suggest that tolerance to LSP is apt to be broken by neonatal thymectomy, and accordingly liver damage is increased. In addition, it can be considered that the cause is probably due to impaired development of suppressor T-cell. © 1986, The Japan Society of Hepatology. All rights reserved.