Center for Hematology and Hemotherapy, 28132University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic, Hospital de Clínicas (University of Campinas Teaching Hospital), 28132University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2022 Jan-Dec;36:20587384211068667. doi: 10.1177/20587384211068667.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have been shown to have a role in autoimmune diseases, but their role in Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) is not completely clear. In the present study, we assessed the frequency of pDCs in peripheral blood of AIH patients under long-term standard immunosuppressive therapy. This cross-sectional analysis enrolled 27 AIH patients and 27 healthy controls. We analyzed and compared their proportion of pDCs, CD4, CD8, γδ T cells, CD25 regulatory T (Treg) cells, FoxP3, Foxp3CD39 Treg cells, total B (CD19) cells, and plasma cells (CD38) in peripheral blood using flow cytometry immunophenotyping. AIH patients had a lower percentage of pDCs (median frequencies of 0.2% vs. 0.4%; = .002) and higher expression of CD8 T cells (32.5% vs 28.6%; = 0.008) in peripheral blood, when compared to healthy controls. We did not find statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the other cell subtypes. Our data suggest a persistent suppression of pDCs in AIH patients, along with increased CD8 T cell activity, years after AIH diagnosis and despite of good clinical response to treatment, thus pointing to a role of pDCs in the AIH pathogenesis.
浆细胞样树突状细胞 (pDCs) 在自身免疫性疾病中具有一定作用，但在自身免疫性肝炎 (AIH) 中的作用尚不完全清楚。在本研究中，我们评估了长期标准免疫抑制治疗下 AIH 患者外周血中 pDCs 的频率。本横断面分析纳入了 27 名 AIH 患者和 27 名健康对照者。我们使用流式细胞术免疫表型分析比较了他们外周血中 pDCs、CD4、CD8、γδ T 细胞、CD25 调节性 T (Treg) 细胞、FoxP3、Foxp3CD39 Treg 细胞、总 B (CD19) 细胞和浆细胞 (CD38) 的比例。与健康对照组相比，AIH 患者外周血中 pDCs 的比例较低（中位数频率分别为 0.2%和 0.4%； =.002），CD8 T 细胞的表达较高（32.5%比 28.6%； = 0.008）。两组间其他细胞亚型无统计学差异。我们的数据表明，在 AIH 诊断多年后，即使临床治疗反应良好，AIH 患者的 pDCs 仍持续受到抑制，同时 CD8 T 细胞活性增加，提示 pDCs 在 AIH 发病机制中具有一定作用。
