NK细胞在乙型肝炎病毒感染中作用

乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）是最常见的导致人类肝脏疾病的传染性病原体。乙型肝炎（以下简称＂乙肝＂）的最严重并发症为肝硬化和肝细胞癌（HCC）。自然杀伤（NK）细胞是免疫反应中识别并消除肿瘤或病毒感染的细胞,在肝细胞中根除HBV发挥着重要作用。本文对NK细胞的表型和功能、NK细胞作为乙型肝炎免疫疗法新靶点以及通过针对NK细胞减少HCC或肝硬化的风险做一综述,为乙型肝炎的免疫治疗提供参考。

Effect of NK cells in the hepatitis B virus infection

Hepatitis B virus（HBV）, are the most prevalent and infectious agents that lead to liver disease in humans.Hepatocellular carcinoma（HCC） and cirrhosis of the liver are the most serious complications from prolonged forms of hepatitis B. Natural killer（NK） cells, the main innate immune cells that target viral infections, play important roles in the eradication of HBV from hepatocytes. This review addresses the recent data of NK cell phenotype, functions, the roles of NK cells as novel targets for immunotherapies that target hepatitis B infection. It also discusses the potential to reduce the risk of HCC or cirrhosis of the liver by targeting NK cells.