Recently it has been suggested that non-specific cellular immunity not only plays an important role in the immune defence mechanism against tumors, virus and parasite, but also has an potential engagement to the damage of self tissue. Among the
effector
cells involved in the non-specfic immune raections, natural killer (NK) cell and antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) effector cells are the principal targets in many of the investigations studying the immune mediated host defence
and
the mechanism of cell mediated tissue damages.
We studied the activity of NK cell and ADCC of 24 pediatric patients (M:F=1.6:, mean age 7.8±4.4yrs) with pathologically diagnosed minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS), and also in age matched healthy 20 children (M:F=1.7:1, mean age
6.1±3.1yrs as
a control.
The results are as follows; 1). NK cell activity of the MCNS patients; 24.2±18.8%, was decreased than that of controls; 36.2±19.8%, (p<0.05). 2). ADCC activity was measured in immune serum of three different concentration (1:10, 1:100, 1:1000),
and
the ADCC activities of the patients in each immune serum concentration; 64.3±10.4%. 62.3±11.6%, 49.5±15.0% were decreased when compared to those of controls; 75.1±9.8%, 73.5±10.7%, 64.3±16.4%, respectively (p<0.005).
We concluded that activities of NK cell and ADCC of the pediatric patients with MCNS were decreased when compared to those of healthy controls. We suggest that non-specific cellular immnity may have a role in the pathogenic mechanism of primary
glomerulonephropathy in children and there should be more additional studies of non-specfic cellular immunity under controlled conditions of logical response modifiers such as interferon, interleukins and so on to make sure the precise
understanding of
the pathogenesis.
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