Abstract
Cell-mediated immunity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular cell injury in patients with atherosclerotic aortic aneurysms. To clarify the immunologic mechanisms involved, we examined the expression of a cytolytic factor, perforin, in infiltrating cells from aortic tissue samples taken from 6 patients with atherosclerotic aortic aneurysms. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the infiltrating cells consisted mainly of macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), and T helper cells, and that perforin was expressed in NK cells and CTLs. Immunoelectron microscopic studies demonstrated that the infiltrating cells released massive amounts of perforin directly on to the surface of arterial vascular cells. These findings provide the first direct evidence that some of the infiltrating cells in the aortic tissue consist of killer cells, and strongly suggest that these killer cells, especially NK cells and CTLs, may play a critical role in the vascular cell injury caused by atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm by releasing perforin.
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