The role of apoptosis in hepatocyte injury in type Ⅰ autoimmune hepatitis / 中华消化杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the role of apoptosis in hepatocyte injury in tyep Ⅰ autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Methods Using transferase mediated UTP biotin nick end labling (TUNEL) technique and immunohistochemistry with anti Fas antibody, we detected apoptosis cells in 10 liver biopsy samples and 3 control livers obtained from normal subjects. Result Hepatocytes in all AIH liver tissues were positively stained by TUNEL and anti Fas antibody in various degree. In contrast, control tissues did not show DNA fragmentation or positive stain with anti Fas antibody. A significant correlation was seen between apoptosis index (AI) and necroinflammatory grading ( r =0.45, P