The proportion of regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with autoimmune hepatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Many researches have reported the impairment of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), whilst the change of Tregs in peripheral blood remains controversial. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify the numerical change of circulating Tregs in AIH patients compared with healthy individuals.

METHODS

Relevant studies were identified from Medline, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang Data. Twenty-nine studies involving 968 AIH patients and 583 healthy controls were included. Subgroup analysis stratified by Treg definition or ethnicity was performed, and analysis of active-phase AIH was conducted.

RESULTS

The proportions of Tregs among CD4 T cells and PBMCs were generally decreased in AIH patients compared with healthy controls. Subgroup analysis showed that circulating Tregs identified by CD4CD25, CD4CD25Foxp3, CD4CD25CD127, and Tregs in Asian population were decreased among CD4 T cells in AIH patients. No significant change of CD4CD25Foxp3CD127 Tregs and Tregs in Caucasian population among CD4 T cells were found in AIH patients, whereas the number of studies was limited in these subgroups. Moreover, analysis of the active-phase AIH patients showed that Treg proportions were decreased generally, whereas no significant differences in Tregs/CD4 T cells were observed when markers CD4CD25Foxp3, CD4CD25Foxp3CD127 were used or in Caucasian population.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportions of Tregs among CD4 T cells and PBMCs were decreased in AIH patients compared with healthy controls generally, whereas Treg definition markers, ethnicity, and disease activity had influence on the results. Further large-scale and rigorous study is warranted.