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The production of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-1 inhibitor by keratinocytes isolated from the skin of epidermodysplasia verruciformis patients was studied. Keratinocytes from uninvolved skin of patients with most pronounced neoplastic lesions produced large amounts of an IL-1 inhibitor (20-40 kD). Keratinocytes from preneoplastic lesions showed no significant differences compared to cells from healthy donors but their production of IL-1 after UVB irradiation was increased.

The natural killer (NK) activity against fetal chondrocytes was studied in patients with psoriasis and systemic sclerosis. It was shown that the cell responsible for the cytotoxic effect is a lymphocyte CD16+, CD2-. In patients with arthritic psoriasis NK activity against chondrocytes was significantly higher than in other psoriasis patients or in healthy controls. Preliminary studies show that the NK activity against chondrocytes is decreased in patients with systemic sclerosis.

The studies were performed in 48 patients with morphea and included evaluation of 1) antinuclear antibodies 2) lymphocyte induced angiogenesis 3) natural killer (NK) cell activity and 4) T cell subpopulations in peripheral blood. The presence of antinuclear antibodies was found in 44.4% (8/18) patients with scleroderma linearis and in 21% (4/19) patients with morphea disseminata. Lymphocyte induced angiogenesis was increased in 41.5% (17/41) morphea patients, mainly in cases with pronounced vascular changes. The E rosette forming test showed a decreased percentage of active rosette forming cells (ARFC) and total rosette forming cells (TRFC) in peripheral blood and the NK cell activity was lowered in patients with morphea. These results obtained in patients with morphea show some similarities and differences in comparison to cellular immunity disturbances in patients with systemic scleroderma.

The NK activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was evaluated in 90 patients with various subsets of systemic scleroderma (SSc). The NK activity, as performed with K-562 as target cell, was found to be significantly lowered in patients with diffuse scleroderma, but did not differ from the healthy control in patients with acrosclerosis. The lowest values in the NK activity assay were obtained in patients with most extensive skin involvement and severe internal organ changes. The NK activity of healthy donors' PBMC was significantly decreased by addition of SSc patients PBMC (50:1) to the cytotoxicity assay, but was not influenced by the patients sera.