Association of the frequency and function of peripheral and liver natural killer cells with liver injury in HBV-ACLF patients / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate whether the expression frequency and function of peripheral and liver NK cells was correlated with the liver injury in patients with hepatitis B virus related acute-on-chronic liver failure(HBV-ACLF).Methods Peripheral blood samples were obtained from fifteen HBV-ACLF patients and fifteen chronic hepatitis B patients.The frequency of peripheral NK cells (CD3-CD56+) and CD107a expression on surface of peripheral NK cells were detected by multicolor flow cytometry.Expression of IFN-γ by peripheral NK cells was detected by intracellular cytokine staining.Needle biopsy liver tissues were obtained from twenty patients with HBV-ACLF,ten patients with mild CHB,and expression of live NK cells (CD3-CD57+) was analyzed by dual immmunohistochemical staining of CD 3 and CD57.Results There was no significant difference in the frequency of peripheral NK cell and IFN-γ expression by peripheral NK cells between HBV-ACLF and mild CHB patients.However,CD107a expression on surface of peripheral NK cells of HBV-ACLF patients was remarkably higher than that of CHB patients.The frequency of liver CD57+NK cell of HBV-ACLF patients was remarkably higher than that of CHB patients(95.1 ±21.3/low power field vs 9.5±10.6/low power field,P＜0.01).Further analysis revealed that the frequency of liver CD57+ NK cells in HBV-ACLF patients was positively correlated with the TBIL level.Conclusion The enhanced cytotoxic activity of peripheral NK cells and the recruitment of liver CD57+ NK cells may aggravate immune-mediated liver injury and promote the apoptosis and necrosis of hepatocytes.