The role of CD4+CD25+Foxp3 regulatory T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B / 中华传染病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the role of CD4+CD25+Foxp3 regulatory T cells in chronicity of hepatitis B and viral clearance of hepatitis B virus(HBV).Methods Nineteen patients with chronic active hepatitis B(CAH).21 HBV carriers(AsC)and 12 patients with resolved HBV infection and 1 5 healthy controls were enrolled.The frequency and phenotype of peripheral CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells were detected by flow cytometry.CD4+CD25+T cells were sorted by magnetic-activated cell sorting(MACS)assay.Level of Foxp3 mRNA in CD4+CD25+T cells was examined by real time polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assay.The data were analyzed by one-way ANoVA or nonparametric statistics.Results Both frequencies of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells and levels of Foxp3 mRNA in CD4+CD25+T ceils in patients with CAH or AsC were significantly higher than those in healthy controls Or resolved HBV infection(F=6.8,F=3.72,respectively;both P<0.05).Accumulation of Foxp3+T cells in liver tissue of CAH patients was higher than that of healthy controls,while that in AsC was lower than CAH.The frequency of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells of hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg)positive patients(including CAH and AsC)was significantly higher than that of HBeAg negative patients(t=2.3,P<0.05),and that of antFHBe negative patients were significantly higher than anti-HBe positive patients(t=2.4,P<0.05).Furthermore,the frequency of CD4+CD25+Foxp3 regulatory T cells was positively correlated with serum HBV DNA level of patients with chronic hepatitis B(r=0.56,P<0.01).Conclusion The findings have important implication in the understanding of the role of CD4'CD25'regulatory T cells in chronicity and viral clearance in HBV infection.