Guido M, Rugge M, Chemello L, Leandro G, Fattovich G, Giustina G, Cassaro M, Alberti A
Cattedra di Istochimica & Immunoistochimica Patologica, Istituto di Anatomia Patologica, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy.
J Hepatol. 1996 Mar;24(3):301-7. doi: 10.1016/s0168-8278(96)80008-0.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver stellate cell proliferation and differentiation into myofibroblast-like cells is related to the development of liver fibrosis. Several cytokines, including interferons, regulate liver stellate cell proliferation and phenotypic modulation. Recent studies indicate that human liver stellate cells express the alpha-isotype of actin, specific to smooth muscle cell differentiation. We aimed to evaluate the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive liver stellate cells in patients with chronic viral hepatitis and to evaluate whether and how such expression can be modified by alpha-interferon treatment.
Using immunohistochemistry, and a semi-quantitative scoring method, we evaluated alpha-smooth muscle actin expression in liver stellate cells before and after alpha-interferon therapy in a series of liver biopsies from 44 patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
Before therapy, a large number of liver stellate cells expressing alpha-smooth muscle actin were present throughout all acinar zones. A significant reduction in alpha-smooth muscle actin expression by liver stellate cells was demonstrated in biopsies performed after suspending the interferon treatment. The drop in the number of alpha-smooth muscle actin-labelled cells after therapy correlated closely with the improvement in the histological index of activity.
The results suggest a specific effect of interferon on liver stellate cells, possibly related to its anti-inflammatory action.
背景/目的：肝星状细胞增殖并分化为肌成纤维细胞样细胞与肝纤维化的发展有关。包括干扰素在内的几种细胞因子可调节肝星状细胞的增殖和表型调节。最近的研究表明，人肝星状细胞表达对平滑肌细胞分化具有特异性的α-肌动蛋白同型。我们旨在评估慢性病毒性肝炎患者中α-平滑肌肌动蛋白阳性肝星状细胞的表达情况，并评估α-干扰素治疗是否以及如何改变这种表达。
我们使用免疫组织化学和半定量评分方法，对44例慢性病毒性肝炎患者的一系列肝活检标本在α-干扰素治疗前后评估肝星状细胞中α-平滑肌肌动蛋白的表达。
治疗前，在所有腺泡区均存在大量表达α-平滑肌肌动蛋白的肝星状细胞。在停止干扰素治疗后进行的活检中，肝星状细胞中α-平滑肌肌动蛋白的表达显著降低。治疗后α-平滑肌肌动蛋白标记细胞数量的下降与组织学活动指数的改善密切相关。
结果提示干扰素对肝星状细胞有特定作用，可能与其抗炎作用有关。
