HBV慢性感染患者免疫耐受期肝组织内T、B淋巴细胞的变化

Change of intrahepatic T and B lymphocyte contents in immune tolerant phase of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

AIM: To investigate the characteristics of intrahepatic CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocytes and B cells in immune tolerant phase of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, and to explore the relationship between intrahepatic immune competent cells and the status of immune tolerance in chronic HBV infection. METHODS: Sixteen liver biopsies were selected from patients with HBV infection in immune tolerant phase for the immunohistochemical detection of T lymphocyte subsets, B lymphocytes and expression of HBsAg and HbcAg. Six normal liver biopsies and 17 liver biopsies of patients in immuneactive phase were employed to serve as control respectively. RESULTS: CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocyte subsets in the liver biopsies of patients in immune tolerant phase were all significantly increased as compared with those in the normal control (t= 4.504, 8.272, 4.742, all P<0.01), but significantly decreased as compared with those in biopsies of patients in immuneactive phase (t=7.079, 6.866, 6.316, all P<0.01). The ratio of CD4/CD8 in portal tract was lower in immune tolerant phase than in immuneactive phase (t= 3.46, P<0.01), but it was not markedly different from that in the normal control. The number of intrahepatic B cells in immune phase was decreased statistically as compared with that in immuneactive phase (t= 4.76,P<0.01), but were almost the same as that in normal control (P>0.05). The rate of HBcAg expression in hepatocytes of patients at immune tolerant phase was significantly higher than that of patients at immuneactive phase (t = 8.76, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: T and B lymphocytes may play important roles in the clearance of HBV as well as in liver inflammation and injury during chronic HBV infection. The fewer T and B lymphocyte infiltrations are associated with the status of immune tolerance.