Abstract:

Objective To investigate the relationship between the effect of antiviral therapy and CD4+ CD25high regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods Eighty-three patients with chronic hepatitis C who completed antiviral therapy and received follow-up were enrolled (chronic hepatitis C group). Flow cytometry was employed to determine the percentages of CD4+ CD25high Treg cells in peripheral blood at the time points of before treatment, treatment for 12 weeks, treatment for 48 weeks and followup for 24 weeks, and serum hepatitis C-RNA (HCV-RNA),  alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were quantified meanwhile. Besides, normal control group was established (n=32). Results The percentage of CD4+ CD25high Treg cells in peripheral blood and serum ALT and AST in chronic hepatitis C group were significantly higher than those in normal control group before treatment (P<0.05). At 12 weeks of treatment, the percentage of CD4+ CD25high Treg cells in peripheral blood and HCV-RNA quantity in 32 patients with early virology response (EVR) were significantly different from those of these patients before treatment and from patients without EVR (P<0.01), while such difference was not found in serum ALT. At 48 weeks of treatment, the percentage of CD4+ CD25high Treg cells in peripheral blood, HCV-RNA quantity and serum ALT in chronic hepatitis C virology response group (HCV-RNA quantity below lowest detectable limit)(n=51) were significantly lower than those of these patients before treatment and patients in chronic hepatitis C no-virology response group (n=32)(P<0.01), and there was no significant difference between the parameters before treatment and those after treatment in chronic hepatitis C no-virology response group (P>0.05). At 24 weeks of follow-up, the percentage of CD4+ CD25high Treg cells in peripheral blood, HCV-RNA quantity and serum ALT in 39 patients with sustained viral response (SVR) in chronic hepatitis C virology response group were significantly lower than those of these patients before treatment and patients without SVR (P<0.01), and the parameters of patients without SVR were significantly higher than those at the end of treatment (at the end of 48 weeks)(P<0.05). Conclusion The percentages of CD4+ CD25high Treg cells in peripheral blood during antiviral therapy and follow-up have definite value in prediction of therapeutic effect and recurrence.

Key words: hepatitis C, CD4+ CD25high regulatory T cells, antiviral therapy