Effects of T helper type 17 cells and T regulatory cells imbalance in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection / 中华传染病杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of the imbalance between regulatory T cells (Treg) and T helper 17 cells (Th17) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.MethodsThe serum concentration of Treg/Th17 differentiation-related cytokines in 34 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB),20 patients with HBV related acute on chronic liver failure (ACHBLF),and 20 healthy controls (NC) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and proportion of peripheral Th17 and Treg cells were analyzed by flow cytometry.Numeration data was analyzed by Fisher's exact propability method and measurement data was tested by one-factor analysis of variance or Turkey multiple comparison.Results The levels of Th17 differentiation-related cytokines,II-1β (3.97±2.85) pg/mL,IL-6 (12.75±-8.87) pg/mL,and IL-21 (360.0±335.7) pg/ mL in patients with ACHBLF were significantly increased than those in NC,which were (1.87 ±0.94) pg/mL(q=4.559,P＜0.01),(5.28±0.72) pg/mL(q=7.309,P＜0.01) and (46.68±20.17) pg/mL(q=6.946,P＜0.01 ),respectively.The proportion of Th17 increased markedly in patients with ACHBLF than that in NC(q=3.972,P＜0.05).However,compared to NC and patients with ACHBLF,the Treg differentiation-related cytokine,TGF-β,in patients with CHB,increased significantly (q=4.536 and 5.323,respectively; both P＜0.01).And the population of Treg also increased markedly in CHB patients.The level of IL-17A which was the characteristic effector cytokine of Th17 was the highest in patients with ACHBLF.The peripheral Th17 cell proportion was positively correlated with the level of serum total bilirubin in patients with ACHBLF (γ=0.74,P＜0.01).Conclusions Th17 and Treg imbalance including cytokine profiles and cell numbers exists in patients with chronic HBV infection.The Th17 are active in patients with ACHBLF and Treg are active in patients with CHB.