Changes of regulatory T cells in peripheral blood from patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis complicated with bacterial infections and their clinical significance / 中华临床感染病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate changes of regulatory T (Treg) cell proportion and activity in patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis complicated with bacterial infections.Methods Thirty patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis complicated with bacterial infections,20patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis without bacterial infection and 10 healthy controls were recruited in the study from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University during January 2009 and December 2011.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from blood samples via density gradient centrifugation.The proportion of CD4+ CD25+ CD127low Treg cells in CD4+ cells was detected by flow cytometry.The immune activity of Treg cells isolated from PBMCs was observed by a suppression assay of allogeneic mixed lymphocyte response (MLR).Results Patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis complicated with bacterial infections had significantly lower percentage of Treg cells in CD4 + T cells of PBMCs than the patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis without bacterial infections [(4.07±1.18)％ vs.(9.74 ±3.00)％,t =9.35,P＜0.01].The suppression ability to homologous PBMCs proliferation of Treg cells isolated from patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis complicated with bacterial infections was significantly weakened as demonstrated in MLR assay [ cpm =(22.79 ± 4.94) × 103],which had a statistical difference compared with both the patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis without bacterial infection and the healthy controls [ cpm =(6.43±1.19) × 103 and (5.96 ± 1.25) × 103 respectively; t =16.09 and 16.51,P＜ 0.01].Conclusion There is a decrease of both quantity and activity of Treg cell in the patients with decompensated hepatitis B-related cirrhosis complicated with bacterial infections.