Comparisons of peripheral blood and hepatic lymphocyte subpopulations and interferon production in chronic viral hepatitis.
Studies were undertaken to clarify the immunological mechanism in patients with chronic hepatitis C compared with chronic hepatitis B. Phenotypic study by flow cytometry showed that CD8+ T cells and HLA-DR+ cells isolated from liver biopsy specimen were significantly increased in their proportions as compared with those in peripheral blood, while intrahepatic CD4+ T cells were significantly lower than peripheral blood CD4+ T cells in both types of patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH). Furthermore two-color analysis revealed that CD8+ CD11- and CD3+ HLA-DR+ cells were significantly elevated in liver tissue than in peripheral blood in both patients groups. In in vitro tests, mononuclear cells obtained from the liver of type B and type C CAH had a reduced capacity to produce IFN-gamma in response to pokeweed mitogen, while they produced equal amounts of IFN-alpha under stimulation with Newcastle disease virus as compared with control peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In contrast, spontaneous productions of both IFNs were greater in liver infiltrates of the two patients groups. These results indicate that functionally activated T cells are distributed in a similar manner in the liver of both chronic hepatitis B and C, suggesting that cytotoxic T cell plays a major role in the hepatocellular injury of both groups of patients.
Kakumu
S
S
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Yoshioka
K
K
Wakita
T
T
Ishikawa
T
T
Murase
K
K
Kusakabe
A
A
Kurokawa
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics*; D017252:CD3 Complex; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D017252:CD3 Complex; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D007372:Interferons