ぶどう膜炎患者の虹彩組織におけるTリンパ球サブセットの解析

Lymphocyte subsets in the iris tissue with uveitis

　ぶどう膜炎による併発白内障手術時に切除された虹彩を用いて，この組織に浸潤するTリンパ球のサブセットの解析をOKT4,OKT8，OKT11の各モノクローナル抗体を使用した免疫酵素抗体法で行い，ぶどう膜炎の局所における免疫学的機構の解明を試みた．その結果，老人性白内障より得た正常虹彩組織には検索したTリンパ球サブセットはほとんど認められなかった．一方，対象とした種々のぶどう膜炎ではOKT8陽性Tリンパ球がOKT4陽性Tリンパ球に比べて数の上で優位であり，また，OKT4／OKT8比は13例中12例が1.0以下であった．このことは，ぶどう膜炎寛解期または遷延期の虹彩組織において，OKT8すなわちサプレッサー・キラーTリンパ球のうち，サプレッサーTリンパ球が主に眼局所の炎症抑制に関与しているのではないかと考えられた．

We conducted an immunohistological study on iris tissue obtained from 13 eyes with uveitis to determine lymphocyte subsets using monoclonal antibodies. The series included Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (4eyes), sympathetic ophthalmia (2), Behget disease (2) and uveitis of unknown etiology (5). The tissue speci-mens were obtained during surgery for complicated cataract. Normal iris tissues were also obtained during surgery for senile cataract and were used as controls.The tissues were processed by staining using the en-zyme-labelled antibody method with monoclonal anti-bodies for OKT4, OKT8 and OKT11 to analyze the lymphocyte substes.

In all the tissue specimens with uveitis, the iris was infiltrated more with OKT8-positive cells than with OKT4-positive ones. T-lymphocyte subsets were almost absent in normal iris tissues.

These findings to indicate that suppressor-cytotoxic lymphocytes are prominent in the iris during the chronic stage of uveitis and that they play a role in suppressing the recurrence of inflammation.

Rinsho Ganka (Jpn J Clin Ophthalmol) 40(5) : 447-451, 1986