Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics and clinical significance of changes in gamma delta T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), including during the immune tolerant (IT) phase and the immune activated (IA) phase. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to analyze the frequencies and absolute numbers of γδT cells and their subsets in peripheral blood and in liver from 80 CHB cases, including 20 IT carriers and 60 IA patients. Blood samples were obtained from all CHB cases and 5 healthy controls (HCs). Liver biopsies were collected from 22 IA patients and 5 IT carriers undergoing diagnosis, and from the 5 HCs. RESULTS: Compared to HCs and IT carriers, the IA patients displayed significantly lower levels of peripheral and intrahepatic γδT cells as well as the Vδ2 subsets. The levels of peripheral and intrahepatic VγδT cells were closely associated with the liver histological activity index and serum alanine aminotransferase levels. CONCLUSION: γδT cells, especially the Vδ2 subsets, may play a protective role in decreasing liver damage in CHB patients.