Hepatitis Group, National Institute of Virology, 130/1, Sus Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra 411021, India.
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2012 Feb;31(2):179-84. doi: 10.1007/s10096-011-1291-1. Epub 2011 May 20.
This study addresses the involvement of regulatory T cells in hepatitis E (HE) infection. The study population comprised 77 acute viral HE patients, 52 recovered individuals (overall, 129 individuals with HE) and 53 healthy controls. Peripheral CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(+) frequencies by flow cytometry and HE-specific cytokines/chemokines quantitation were carried out. The median percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(+) T cells in acute patients were significantly higher compared to controls and recovered individuals. Both of the T regulatory (Treg) subset populations in overall HE were significantly elevated compared to controls. Comparisons of cytokines/chemokines revealed that the levels of IL-10 were elevated in: (a) acute viral hepatitis E (AVH-E) versus recovered individuals and controls, and (b) HE versus controls. Overall, the elevation of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(+) frequencies and the rise in IL-10 suggest that Treg cells might be playing a pivotal role in hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection.
本研究探讨了调节性 T 细胞在戊型肝炎（HE）感染中的作用。研究人群包括 77 例急性病毒性 HE 患者、52 例康复患者（共 129 例 HE 患者）和 53 例健康对照者。采用流式细胞术检测外周血 CD4+CD25+Foxp3+和 CD4+CD25-Foxp3+的频率，并定量检测 HE 特异性细胞因子/趋化因子。急性患者 CD4+CD25+Foxp3+和 CD4+CD25-Foxp3+T 细胞的中位数百分比明显高于对照组和康复组。总的来说，HE 患者的两种调节性 T 细胞（Treg）亚群均明显高于对照组。细胞因子/趋化因子的比较显示，IL-10 水平在（a）急性戊型肝炎（AVH-E）患者与康复患者和对照组，以及（b）HE 患者与对照组之间升高。总的来说，CD4+CD25+Foxp3+和 CD4+CD25-Foxp3+频率的升高和 IL-10 的升高提示 Treg 细胞可能在戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）感染中发挥关键作用。
