白细胞介素-18对慢性乙型肝炎患者外周血单个核细胞的作用及意义

目的 探讨白细胞介素-18(IL-18)对慢性乙型肝炎患者外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)的作用及体外对转染乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)基因的人肝癌细胞系2.2.15(HepG2.2.15)细胞HBV DNA分泌的影响。方法 分离25例正常人及25例慢性乙型肝炎患者的PBMC,在乙型肝炎核心抗原(HBcAg)及不同浓度IL-18刺激下培养72h,收集其培养上清液,采用酶联免疫试验办法检测其中干扰素γ(IFN-γ)的含量;收集1例慢性乙型肝炎患者的PBMC,与已培养了24 h的HepG2.2.15细胞共孵育,经过不同浓度的IL-18刺激培养96h后,收集其培养上清液,采用聚合酶链反应(PCR)检测HBV DNA的含量。结果 PBMC在HBcAg联合0.2、1.0、5.0ng/ml的IL—18刺激下,慢性肝炎组培养上清液中IFN-γ的水平均较正常对照组明显增高(0.2ng/ml组:t 11.7,P<0.01;1.0ng/ml组:t-16.19,P<0.01;5.0ng/ml组:t-20.12,P<0.01);在HBcAg联合IL-18和IL-12刺激下,慢性肝炎IFN-γ的水平亦较正常对照组明显增高,分别为(1313.20±187.76)pg/ml和(390.75±43.23)pg/ml,t—23.94,P<0.01;在慢性肝炎轻、中、重度患者中,单独HBcAg刺激组与HBcAg联合不同浓度的IL-18刺激组相比,联合刺激组的IFN-γ的水平均较单独刺激组增高;HBcAg联合IL-18刺激组与联合IL-12和同一浓度的IL-18刺激组相比,IFN-γ的水平后者显著高

Effect of IL-18 on peripheral blood monocytes from chronic hepatitis B patients

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of IL-18 on peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) from chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and HBV DNA released by HepG2.2.15 cells, which were transfected with the gene of HBV. METHODS: PBMCs were isolated from 25 healthy persons and 25 CHB patients, which were co-cultured with HBcAg and IL-18 at different concentrations for 72 hours. The level of IFN-gamma in the culture supernatant of PBMCs was determined by ELISA. One patient' PBMCs were co-cultured for 96 hours with various concentrations of IL-18 and HepG2.2.15 cells which had been cultured for 24 hours, the supernatant was collected to detect HBV DNA level by PCR. RESULTS: When PBMCs were stimulated by HBcAg and IL-18 at various concentrations, the levels of supernatant IFN-gamma in the CHB group were much higher than those in the normal control group (at 0.2ng/ml: t=11.7, P<0.01; at 1.0ng/ml: t=16.19, P<0.01; at 5.0ng/ml: t=20.12, P<0.01), especially when the PBMCs were stimulated by HBcAg, IL-18 and IL-12 (1313.20pg/ml+-187.76pg/ml vs. 390.75pg/ml+-43.23pg/ml, t=23.94, P<0.01). The IFN-gamma level in the patients who were stimulated by HBcAg alone was much lower than the levels in the patients who were stimulated by HBcAg and IL-18 at various concentrations, and which were lower than those in the patients stimulated by HBcAg, IL-12 and IL-18 at the same concentrations (light: t=2.2, P<0.05; moderate: t=2.97, P<0.05). The HBV DNA content in the supernatant of co-cultivation with HepG2.2.15 cells and PBMCs was much higher than that of the two kinds of cells stimulated by HBcAg and IL-18 at various concentrations or HBcAg, IL-18 and IL-12/IFN-a1b. CONCLUSION: IL-18 can improve the PBMCs from CHB patients to produce a great deal of IFN-gamma, so it has a good application prospect in two aspects: immunoregulatory effects and increasing the ability to kill the cells infected with virus.