Assessment of CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Lymphocytes Cells in Chronic Hepatitis C, Chronic Hepatitis C– Associated Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Clinical Laboratory Department, El-Ghad Faculty for Health Science, Jeddah, KSA.

2 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.

3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.

4 Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.

Abstract

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T lymphocytes are a subset of circulating CD4+ T cells with suppressive
properties. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress HCV-specific T cell responses and it has been
suggested that they may play a role in viral persistence. Our aim was to assess the frequency of
regulatory T cells in the different clinical presentations of hepatitis C virus infections in a chosen
Egyptian population. Peripheral blood CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells from patients with different
progression of HCV, was conducted and analyzed using flow cytometry. For each stage of HCV
progression, twenty patients (n=20) were subjected for analysis in comparison with normal healthy
control subjects (n=20). Results showed a significantly higher frequency of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T
cells in chronic HCV (3.0 ± 0.9%), HCV related liver cirrhosis (٣.٣±0.8%), HCV related-HCC (3.9
±1.6%), when compared to normal healthy controls (2.3 ±0.8%). No statistical significant differences
were found when comparing HCV related cirrhotic patients with chronic HCV infected patients
(P=0.95). Meanwhile, statistical significant differences were detected when comparing HCV related
HCC patients with chronic HCV patients (P=0.047). In conclusion, our results indicated the presence of
significant higher than normal frequency of peripheral blood CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell among
Egyptian patients that may help to early detect the viral disease and open new field to find a way to
disease recovery or protection. Conversely, within different clinical presentation of hepatitis C virus
infection no significant differences were detected. Severity of liver affection was significantly
correlated with viral load.

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