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Th17 cells are increased with severity of liver inflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Author(s) -
Chang Qing,
Wang YanKun,
Zhao Qing,
Wang ChangZheng,
Hu YaZhuo,
Wu BenYan
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2011.06782.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatitis c virus , immunology , inflammation , pathogenesis , liver disease , virus , hepatitis , hepatitis c , virology
Background and Aim: As a newly identified subset of T helper cells, T‐helper 17 cells (Th17) are major mediators of inflammation‐associated disease. Some reports have revealed significantly increased Th17 cells in hepatitis B virus‐infected patients, and a recent study has demonstrated that hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐specific Th17 cells can be induced in vitro and regulated by transforming growth factor‐β. This study attempted to characterize the role of Th17 cells in the disease progression of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Methods: The current study enrolled 53 patients with CHC and 23 healthy controls, in which the circulating and liver‐infiltrating Th17 cells were monitored. Results: We found that CHC patients had increased proportions of both circulating and liver‐infiltrating Th17 cells compared to healthy individuals, and both measures of Th17 cells were correlated with severity of liver inflammation. We further demonstrated that the HCV‐specific Th17 cells were correlated with liver damage but not HCV viral replication. Conclusions: Such a correlation between the severity of liver damage of CHC and Th17 cells illustrated in this study sheds some light on the understanding of the pathogenesis of CHC.