T cell immune response is correlated with fibrosis and inflammatory activity in hepatitis B cirrhotics

To explore the relationship among interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) activity, fibrogenesis, T cell immune responses and hepatic inflammatory activity.

T cell immune responses are correlated with fibrosis and hepatic inflammatory activity and may play an important role in liver cirrhosis.

Peripheral blood samples from a total of 43 hepatitis B cirrhotic patients (LC) and 19 healthy controls (NC) were collected to measure their serum levels of IFN-gamma, interleukin-2 (IL-2), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and three serological markers of fibrosis including hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen type III peptide (PIIIP), and type IV collagen were measured using a double antibody sandwich ELISA. Also, serum total bilirubin (TB) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured by routine measures.

The concentrations of serological markers of fibrosis in patients with active cirrhosis (ALC) were significantly higher than those in stationary liver cirrhosis (SLC) or NC groups. The levels of serological markers in HBeAg-positive patients were significantly higher than those in HBeAg-negative patients. In SLC and ALC patients, a negative linear correlation was found between IFN-gamma levels and the serological markers of fibrosis. IFN-gamma and IL-2 levels in the ALC group were significantly higher than those in the SLC and NC groups, but the statistical difference was not significant between the latter two. In contrast, IL-10 levels in the SLC group were significantly higher than that in the NC group, but no significant difference was found between SLC and ALC groups. The sIL-2R level was elevated gradually in all these groups, and the differences were significant. Positive linear correlations were seen between IFN-gamma activity and ALT levels (r = 0.339, P < 0.05), and IL-2 activity and TB levels (r = 0.517, P < 0.05). sIL-2R expression was positively correlated with both ALT and TB levels (r = 0.324, 0.455, P < 0.05), whereas there was no statistically significant correlation between IL-10 expression and serum ALT and TB levels (r = -0.102, -0.093, P > 0.05). Finally, there was a positive correlation between IFN-gamma and IL-2 levels.