High frequencies of CD158b+ NK cells are associated with persistent hepatitis C virus infections
Journal Title: Annals of Hepatology - Year 2013, Vol 12, Issue 4
Abstract
Background. During the early phases of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, NK cell activation appears to be critical to the induction of adaptive immune responses that have the potential of clearing the infection. This study aimed to investigate the phenotype and function of NK cells in chronic HCV (CHC) patients, particularly patients who cleared HCV infections spontaneously (SR-HCV). Material and methods. Peripheralblood NK cells were compared between 36 CHC patients, 12 SR-HCV patients, and 14 healthy controls (HC). The phenotype and function of NK cells were characterized by flow cytometry. In addition, the potential associations between the frequency of NK cell subsets and ALT, AST and HCV viral loads were also analyzed.Results. Our data revealed that the population of CD3-CD56+ NK cells was significantly decreased in CHC and SR-HCV patients compared to levels in HC (P = 0.031, P = 0.014). Interestingly, we found that the levels of the CD158b inhibitory receptor were higher in CHC patients compared to levels observed in HCand SR-HCV subjects (P = 0.018, P = 0.036). In addition, the percentages of the activation receptors NKp30 and NKp46 were significantly decreased in CHC and SR-HCV patients compared to their expression levels in HC (P < 0.05). Moreover, the frequencies of inducible CD107a (but not IFN-γ-secreting) NK cellsfrom both CHC and SR-HCV patients were significantly lower than frequencies observed in controls (P = 0.018, P = 0.027). Conclusion. Our data indicated that the higher frequency of inhibitory NK cells combined with fewer activated NK cells may be associated with HCV-related chronic inflammation involved in CHC pathogenesis.
Authors and Affiliations
Hui-Fan Ji, Juan Wang, Lei Yu, Jun-Qi Niu, Desalegn Admassu Ayana, Yan-Fang Jiang
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP78297
- DOI -
- Views 131
- Downloads 0
Hepatotoxicity from ingestion of wild mushrooms of the genus Amanita section Phalloideae collected in Mexico City: two case reports
We present two cases of acute liver injury resulting from consumption of wild mushrooms. The first case was a male who developed acute hepatitis after ingestion of diverse mushrooms including Amanita species. His clinica...
Haemophagocytic syndrome in a liver transplant patient during treatment with Telaprevir
Haemophagocytic syndrome (HS) is a rare disease that is often fatal despite treatment. HS is characterized by fevers, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenias and hyperferritinaemia due to deregulated activation a...
Does the size of the needle influence the number of portal tracts obtained through percutaneous liver biopsy?
Aim. Liver biopsy (LB) is often essential for the diagnosis and staging of chronic viral hepatitis. The aim of our paper was to establish if the size of the biopsy needle influences the number of portal tracts obtained...
Pulmonary vascular clearance of harmful endogenous macromolecules in a porcine model of acute liver failure
Background. Pulmonary complications are common in acute liver failure (ALF). The role of the lungs in the uptake of harmful soluble endogenous macromolecules was evaluated in a porcine model of ALF induced by hepatic de...
Analysis of the MELD Score Impact in the Outcome of Endovascular Portal Vein Reconstruction
Introduction. Endovascular therapy represents a less invasive alternative to open surgery for reconstruction of the portal vein (PV) and the spleno-mesenteric venous confluence to treat Portal hypertension. The objective...