title: [Decrease in γδV 2T cells correlates with severity of liver injury and fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the characteristics and clinical significance of changes in gamma delta T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), including during the immune tolerant (IT) phase and the immune activated (IA) phase.
  
  
  METHODS
  Flow cytometry was used to analyze the frequencies and absolute numbers of γδT cells and their subsets in peripheral blood and in liver from 80 CHB cases, including 20 IT carriers and 60 IA patients. Blood samples were obtained from all CHB cases and 5 healthy controls (HCs). Liver biopsies were collected from 22 IA patients and 5 IT carriers undergoing diagnosis, and from the 5 HCs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to HCs and IT carriers, the IA patients displayed significantly lower levels of peripheral and intrahepatic γδT cells as well as the Vδ2 subsets. The levels of peripheral and intrahepatic VγδT cells were closely associated with the liver histological activity index and serum alanine aminotransferase levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  γδT cells, especially the Vδ2 subsets, may play a protective role in decreasing liver damage in CHB patients.
authors.affiliation: Research CenterforBiological Therapy, Institute of Translational Hepatology, Beijing 302 Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Liming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.forename: Jiyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fusheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D000410:Alanine Transaminase