Immunological aspects in patients with chronic active hepatitis--cellular immune responses

Relationship between T-lymphocyte subsets and suppressor cell activity in patients with chronic active hepatitis B

Thirty-nine patients with chronic HBV infection and 38 normal persons were investigated by simultaneous assay of T suppressor cell function and enumeration of T-lymphocyte subsets by monoclonal antibodies. In patients with chronic active hepatitis B (CAH-B), T suppressor cell activity (17.8 +/- 8.8%) was significantly lower than in healthy HBsAg carriers (35.4 +/- 12.3%) and normal control persons (38.3 +/- 16.3%). The proportions of T-lymphocyte subsets in patients with CAH-B were not different from those of healthy HBsAg carriers and control persons. No correlation was observed in between percentage suppression and proportions of T-lymphocyte subsets. These findings suggest that in the absence of a simultaneous assay of function, enumeration of T-lymphocyte subsets by using monoclonal antibodies is an inadequate assessment of immune regulation.

Immunological studies in patients with HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis--spontaneous lymphocyte transformation and natural killer cell activity

The present study was to address the nature of cells which are responsible for enhanced spontaneous lymphocyte transformation (SLT) observed in patients with HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis (CAH). The subjects consisted of 34 cases with HBsAg-positive CAH (group I), 31 HBsAg carrier (group II), and 27 normal persons (group III) who had no serological evidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. SLT values and the number of cells bearing HLA-DR antigens in group I (1021.45±276.40 cpm, 36.94±4.90%) were significantly (p<0.01) elevated as compared to group II (103.74±30.44 cpm, 13.26± 4.72%) and III (118.92 ± 30.84 cpm, 14.93±5.10%), but there was no difference of the number of the IL-2 receptor-bearing cells among each groups. Though natural killer (NK) cell activity in both group I (65.42±15.77%) and II (59.14±14.89%) were significantly enhanced as compared to group III (46.25±20.20%), there was no difference in between group I and II. These findings indicate that the cells bearing HLA-DR antigen, but not NK cells, are responsible for the enhanced SLT in patients with CAH.