[Peripheral blood T cell subsets and TH1/TH2 cytokines secretion in children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the cellular immunological abnormalities in children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.


METHODS
(1) The quantity of the peripheral blood T cell subsets in 16 children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and 10 healthy blood donors was detected by FACS. (2) The levels of the TH1/TH2 cytokines secretion of PBMC in patients and healthy blood donors were detected by ELISA.


RESULTS
(1) Compared with normal controls, there was no significant difference in the percentage of CD4+ cells. The percentage of CD8+ cells was significantly higher than that of controls (P < 0.05). The percentage of CD3+ cells was higher and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells was lower, but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). (2) Compared with the cytokine level of normal control, the levels of IFN-gamma, IL-10 and TNF-alpha notably increased (P < 0.01) while IL-2, IL-4, and IL-12 were not detected in the culture supernatant of PBMCs from both normal control and patients.


CONCLUSIONS
There is an imbalance in peripheral blood T cell subsets and disturbance in cellular immunity in children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, which may be associated with HCV persistent infection.
Dong
Yi
Y
Department of Immunology, Institute of Infectious Diseases, the No.302 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100039, China.
Zhang
Hong-fei
HF
Chen
Hao
H
Li
Jing
J
Yang
Xiao-jin
XJ
Zhu
Shi-shu
SS
Cheng
Yun
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000378:metabolism*
D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D016753:Interleukin-10; D018664:Interleukin-12; D015847:Interleukin-4