ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the pathophysiological role of CXCL16 in immunological liver injury induced by Bacille de Calmette et Guerin (BCG) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Immunological liver injury was induced by BCG and LPS in mice, and the expression of CXCL16 was detected in the liver tissues by real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical examination. The relationship of the expression of CXCL16 and the extent of hepatic necrosis was investigated histopathologically and immunohistochemically. Mononuclear cells were isolated from the liver tissues and their numbers were counted; T lymphocytes populations in the liver tissue were also analyzed with FACS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The immunological liver injury model was successfully created. Up-regulation of CXCL16 in injured livers correlated with the extent of liver injury and the amountmononuclear cell infiltrations.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These findings suggest that up-regulation of CXCL16 was closely correlated with liver injury extent during the immunological liver injury induced by BCG-LPS in mice, and intrahepatic recruitment of specific lymphocytes might be an important mechanism of liver injury.</p>