Kleczka Anna, Mazur Bogdan, Tomaszek Krzysztof, Gabriel Andrzej, Dzik Radosław, Kabała-Dzik Agata
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Ostrogórska 30, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-808 Zabrze, Poland.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2023 Jun 27;13(13):2187. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13132187.
Some NK cell subpopulations may be involved in the modulation of fibrogenesis in the liver. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the number and phenotype of NK cell subsets in peripheral blood (PB) and total NK cell percentage, population density and the degree of liver fibrosis of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV+). The study group consisted of 56 HCV+ patients, divided into two subgroups: patients with mild or moderate fibrosis and patients with advanced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis (F ≥ 3 in METAVIR classification). The preparations were stained with H-E and AZAN staining. NK cells were targeted with anti-CD56 antibody and identified automatically in situ using the DakoVision system. Assessment of different NK cell subsets in PB was performed with the flow cytometry technique. In the PB of HCV+ patients with advanced liver fibrosis, there was a lower proportion of CD62L+; CD62L+/CD94++; CD27+; CD127+/CD27+ and CXCR3+/CD27+ NK subsets, as compared to patients with mild/moderate liver fibrosis. The results also showed no association between total PB NK cell level and total intrahepatic NK cell population density between patients with mild/moderate fibrosis and with advanced liver fibrosis. However, positive correlations between the PB levels of CD94+ and CD62L+ NK cell subsets and the intrahepatic total NK cell percentage and population density in the liver, irrespectively to the extent of fibrosis, were observed. Additionally, positive correlation was found between the PB CXCR3+/CD94+ NK cell percentages and intrahepatic NK cell percentages in patients with advanced hepatic fibrosis. Lower blood availability of specific NK subsets in patients with chronic type C hepatitis might be a cause of progression of liver fibrosis via insufficient control over hepatic stellate cells.
一些自然杀伤（NK）细胞亚群可能参与肝脏纤维生成的调节。本研究的目的是评估丙型肝炎病毒（HCV+）感染患者外周血（PB）中NK细胞亚群的数量和表型与总NK细胞百分比、群体密度以及肝纤维化程度之间的关系。研究组由56例HCV+患者组成，分为两个亚组：轻度或中度纤维化患者和晚期肝纤维化或肝硬化患者（METAVIR分类中F≥3）。标本用苏木精-伊红（H-E）和偶氮卡红染色。用抗CD56抗体靶向NK细胞，并使用达科Vision系统在原位自动识别。采用流式细胞术技术评估PB中不同的NK细胞亚群。与轻度/中度肝纤维化患者相比，晚期肝纤维化的HCV+患者的PB中，CD62L+；CD62L+/CD94++；CD27+；CD127+/CD27+和CXCR3+/CD27+ NK亚群的比例较低。结果还显示，轻度/中度纤维化患者与晚期肝纤维化患者的PB总NK细胞水平与肝内总NK细胞群体密度之间无关联。然而，观察到CD94+和CD62L+ NK细胞亚群的PB水平与肝内总NK细胞百分比和群体密度之间存在正相关，与纤维化程度无关。此外，在晚期肝纤维化患者中，发现PB中CXCR3+/CD94+ NK细胞百分比与肝内NK细胞百分比之间存在正相关。慢性丙型肝炎患者特定NK亚群的血液供应较低，可能是由于对肝星状细胞控制不足导致肝纤维化进展的一个原因。
