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Evaluation of circulating CD 4 + CD 25 + and liver-infiltrating Foxp 3 + cells in HCV-associated liver disease
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Amoroso, Alfredo D'Amico, Fabio Consolo, Maria Skarmoutsou, Evangelia Neri, Sergio Dianzani, Umberto Spandidos, Demetrios A. Mazzarino, Maria Clorinda |
| Abstract | In hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated liver disease, the immune system is unable to clear the viral infection. Previous studies have raised the possibility of an involvement of regulatory T cells (Tregs). In this study, we analysed the peripheral blood from 30 patients with HCV-associated chronic liver disease and 20 healthy controls by flow cytometry for the evaluation of the Treg population [CD4 + CD25 hi fork-head box protein 3 (Foxp3) + ], as well as the activated/effector CD4 + T cells (CD4 + CD25 low) and IFN-γ-secreting cells. We also analysed liver biopsies of the patients by immunohisto-chemical evaluation of Foxp3 + cells. Our results showed higher proportions of CD4 + CD25 low and IFN-γ + cells in the patients than in the controls. By contrast, the proportions of peripheral CD4 + CD25 hi cells did not significantly differ. The 11 patients displaying Foxp3 + cells in the liver infiltrates showed significantly higher proportions of peripheral CD4 + CD25 low cells. Moreover, we found lower serum transaminase levels in the patients than in the controls, as shown by Foxp3 + immuno-histochemistry, although these results were only statistically significant as regards alanine transaminase (ALT). In conclusion , these data suggest that the presence of Tregs infiltrating the liver is associated with high levels of activated/effector T cells in the peripheral blood and lower activity of hepatitis. Therefore, liver-infiltrating Tregs may play a role in limiting tissue damage and may thus support an effective immune response against HCV. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.spandidos-publications.com/ijmm/29/6/983/download |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
