Peripheral basophil activation: A hidden player in the immunopathogenesis of primary biliary cholangitis

Figure 1 Peripheral blood basophil proportions and counts in patients with primary biliary cholangitis and chronic hepatitis B and healthy controls. A: Basophil proportion, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) group > chronic hepatitis B (CHB) group (P < 0.001), PBC group > Normal group (P < 0.001); B: Basophil count, PBC group > CHB group (P < 0.001), PBC group > Normal group (P < 0.001). ^aP < 0.001. PBC: Primary biliary cholangitis; CHB: Chronic hepatitis B; Normal: Healthy controls.

Figure 2 Flow cytometry analysis of peripheral basophil (CD123+ CD203c+) proportions in leukocytes. A-C: Representative scatter plots for patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and healthy controls, respectively; D-F: Representative basophil proportion plots for patients with PBC, patients with CHB, and healthy controls, respectively. Ba: Basophils; PBC: Primary biliary cholangitis; CHB: Chronic hepatitis B; Normal: Healthy controls.

Figure 3 Percentage of IL-6-positive basophils in the peripheral blood of patients with primary biliary cholangitis. ^aP < 0.001; ^bP < 0.01. PBC: Primary biliary cholangitis; CHB: Chronic hepatitis B; Normal: Healthy controls.

Figure 4 Representative plots of interleukin-6-positive basophil proportions in peripheral blood. A: Primary biliary cholangitis; B: Chronic hepatitis B; C: Healthy controls. IL: Interleukin; PBC: Primary biliary cholangitis; CHB: Chronic hepatitis B; Normal: Healthy controls.

Figure 5 Interleukin-17+ T lymphocyte proportions. T helper 17 proportion in the primary biliary cholangitis subgroup is significantly higher than in the chronic hepatitis B subgroup (P < 0.001) and Normal subgroup (P < 0.001). ^aP < 0.001. IL: Interleukin; PBC: Primary biliary cholangitis; CHB: Chronic hepatitis B; Normal: Healthy controls.

Figure 6 Representative plots of interleukin-17+ T lymphocyte proportions in primary biliary cholangitis, chronic hepatitis B, and healthy controls. A: Primary biliary cholangitis; B: Chronic hepatitis B; C: Healthy controls. IL: Interleukin; PBC: Primary biliary cholangitis; CHB: Chronic hepatitis B.