Atan Özlem, Aksu Güzide, Özgenç Funda, Akman Sezin A, Karaca Neslihan Edeer, Sertoz Ruchan, Yağci Raşit Vural, Kütükçüler Necil
Department of Pediatrics, Ege University School of Medicine, İzmir.
Turk J Gastroenterol. 2010 Dec;21(4):401-10. doi: 10.4318/tjg.2010.0127.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Host-related immune factors in childhood chronic hepatitis B and change in the initial profile with interferon (IFN)-α treatment need to be clarified.
Sixteen patients were included in the study, and 10 million units of IFN-α treatment 3 times per week for 6 months was initiated. Pre- and post-treatment percentages of interleukin (IL)-2 and IFN-γ in CD4+ T cells were assessed to determine intracellular T helper cell 1 (Th1) type cytokine expression. Similarly, percentages of intracellular IL-2 and IFN-γ were detected to verify cytotoxic T cell 1 (Tc1) type cytokine expression in CD8+ T cells. Percentages of Th2 and Tc2 type cytokine expression (IL-4 and IL-13) were determined in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, respectively.
Six (50%) of these were evaluated as having no response and the other half with partial/complete response. All patients had higher percentages of Th2 cells with respect to healthy controls pre-treatment. Tc percentages, both Tc1 and Tc2, were significantly different between these groups, being higher in the patient group. When values of the nonresponder group were compared with healthy controls, IL-4 expression was higher and the percentages of Th1 type cells were significantly low. IL13 expression in Th and Tc cells decreased after 6 months of treatment in the unresponsive group. The decrease we observed in Th1 percentages with treatment, in the responsive group, may be due to Th1 deposition shifting from the periphery to liver tissue, as reported before. Intracellular cytokine profiles of treatment responders and normal controls were not different.
This is the first study in children comparing baseline and post-treatment intracellular cytokine profiles with values in healthy controls.
背景/目的：儿童慢性乙型肝炎中与宿主相关的免疫因子以及干扰素（IFN）-α治疗后初始特征的变化尚需阐明。
本研究纳入16例患者，开始使用1000万单位IFN-α每周3次，共治疗6个月。评估治疗前后CD4 + T细胞中白细胞介素（IL）-2和IFN-γ的百分比，以确定细胞内辅助性T细胞1（Th1）型细胞因子表达。同样，检测细胞内IL-2和IFN-γ的百分比，以验证CD8 + T细胞中细胞毒性T细胞1（Tc1）型细胞因子表达。分别在CD4 +和CD8 + T细胞中测定Th2和Tc2型细胞因子表达（IL-4和IL-13）的百分比。
其中6例（50%）被评估为无反应，另一半为部分/完全反应。所有患者治疗前Th2细胞百分比相对于健康对照均较高。这些组之间的Tc百分比，包括Tc1和Tc2，有显著差异，患者组更高。将无反应组的值与健康对照相比，IL-4表达更高，Th1型细胞百分比显著较低。无反应组治疗6个月后Th和Tc细胞中的IL13表达降低。在反应组中，我们观察到治疗后Th1百分比的下降可能如之前报道的那样，是由于Th1沉积从外周转移至肝组织。治疗反应者和正常对照的细胞内细胞因子谱无差异。
这是第一项在儿童中比较基线和治疗后细胞内细胞因子谱与健康对照值的研究。
