School of Public Healthy, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China.
State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, Clinical Medical Research Institute, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China.
Front Immunol. 2024 Mar 14;15:1343567. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1343567. eCollection 2024.
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a subpopulation of unconventional T cells widely involved in chronic liver diseases. However, the potential role and regulating factors of MAIT cells in alveolar echinococcosis (AE), a zoonotic parasitic disease by () larvae chronically parasitizing liver organs, has not yet been studied. Blood samples (n=29) and liver specimens (n=10) from AE patients were enrolled. The frequency, phenotype, and function of MAIT cells in peripheral blood and liver tissues of AE patients were detected by flow cytometry. The morphology and fibrosis of liver tissue were examined by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The correlation between peripheral MAIT cell frequency and serologic markers was assessed by collecting clinicopathologic characteristics of AE patients. And the effect of stimulation with antigen (Emp) on MAIT cells. In this study, MAIT cells are decreased in peripheral blood and increased in the close-to-lesion liver tissues, especially in areas of fibrosis. Circulating MAIT exhibited activation and exhaustion phenotypes, and intrahepatic MAIT cells showed increased activation phenotypes with increased IFN-γ and IL-17A, and high expression of CXCR5 chemokine receptor. Furthermore, the frequency of circulating MAIT cells was correlated with the size of the lesions and liver function in patients with AE. After excision of the lesion site, circulating MAIT cells returned to normal levels, and the serum cytokines IL-8, IL-12, and IL-18, associated with MAIT cell activation and apoptosis, were altered. Our results demonstrate the status of MAIT cell distribution, functional phenotype, and migration in peripheral blood and tissues of AE patients, highlighting their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
黏膜相关恒定 T（MAIT）细胞是一种非常规 T 细胞亚群，广泛参与慢性肝脏疾病。然而，MAIT 细胞在泡型包虫病（AE）中的潜在作用和调节因子尚未得到研究。AE 患者的血液样本（n=29）和肝脏标本（n=10）被纳入研究。通过流式细胞术检测 AE 患者外周血和肝组织中 MAIT 细胞的频率、表型和功能。通过组织病理学和免疫组织化学检查肝组织的形态和纤维化。通过收集 AE 患者的临床病理特征评估外周 MAIT 细胞频率与血清标志物之间的相关性。并检测 抗原（Emp）刺激对 MAIT 细胞的影响。在这项研究中，MAIT 细胞在外周血中减少，在靠近病变的肝脏组织中增加，尤其是在纤维化区域。循环 MAIT 表现出激活和耗竭表型，而肝内 MAIT 细胞表现出增加的激活表型，同时 IFN-γ 和 IL-17A 增加，CXCR5 趋化因子受体高表达。此外，循环 MAIT 细胞的频率与 AE 患者的病变大小和肝功能相关。切除病变部位后，循环 MAIT 细胞恢复正常水平，与 MAIT 细胞激活和凋亡相关的血清细胞因子 IL-8、IL-12 和 IL-18 发生改变。我们的研究结果表明了 MAIT 细胞在外周血和 AE 患者组织中的分布、功能表型和迁移状态，突出了它们作为生物标志物和治疗靶点的潜力。
