Published online Oct 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i10.2356
Revised: June 12, 2003
Accepted: June 19, 2003
Published online: October 15, 2003
AIM: To study and compare the difference of activation-induced cell death (AICD) in peripheral blood T-lymphocytes (PBL-Ts) from patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and the normal people in vitro, and to explore the role of AICD in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and the pathogenesis of CHB.
METHODS: Twenty-five patients and fourteen healthy people were selected for isolation of PBL-Ts. During cultivation, anti-CD3 mAb, PMA and ionomycin were used for AICD of PBL-Ts. AICD ratio of PBL-Ts was detected with TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling and assessed by flow cytometry.
RESULTS: When induced with anti-CD3, PMA and ionomycin in vitro, AICD ratio of PBL-Ts from CHB patients was significantly higher than that from healthy control (17.24 ± 1.21 vs. 6.63 ± 1.00, P < 0.01) and that from CHB patients without induction (17.24 ± 1.21 vs. 9.88 ± 1.36, P < 0.01). There was a similar AICD ratio of PBL-Ts between induction group and without induction group, but no difference was found before and after induction in healthy control. The density of INF-γ in culture media of induction groups of CHB was lower than that of other groups (P < 0.01). There was no difference between these groups in density of IL-10 (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: When induced during cultivation in vitro, PBL-Ts from CHB have AICD very commonly. This phenomenon has a potentially important relation with pathogenesis of CHB and chronicity of HBV infection.