Analysis of hepatic CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and CD57+ T lymphocytes in chronic hepatitis B patients with different HBeAg status

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship of hepatic immune cells (CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and CD57+ T lymphocytes) with liver pathology and clinical relevance in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with different HBeAg status. MethodsA total of 70 CHB patients admitted to our hospital from January 2008 to December 2013 underwent liver biopsy, among whom 38 were HBeAg positive and 32 were HBeAg negative. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and CD57+ T lymphocytes in hepatic tissues, and the correlation between their expression and clinical relevance was analyzed in patients with different HBeAg status. Ranked data were analyzed by Kruskal-Walls H test. Comparison between groups was made by Nemenyi test. Correlation analysis was made by linear regression method. ResultsWhen inflammation reached to the level of G3-G4 in patients with either positive or negative HBeAg, the expression of hepatic CD8+ and CD20+ cells in them was significantly higher than that in patients with inflammation level of G1 (all P＜0.05). When the levels of inflammation reached G4 in patients with positive HBeAg and G3 in those with negative HBeAg, the expression of hepatic CD4+ cells was significantly higher than that in patients with G1 inflammation (all P＜0.05). In patients with negative HBeAg, the CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and CD57+ lymphocytes all showed a positive correlation with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (r=0.353, 0.628, 0.693, and 0.540, respectively; all P＜0.05). In addition, CD20+ lymphocytes also showed a positive correlation with hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA (r=0.378, P＜0.05). However, in patients with positive HBeAg, only CD8+ and CD20+ lymphocytes showed a positive correlation with ALT level, and no correlation was found between all lymphocyte populations and HBV DNA. ConclusionThe expression of CD4+, CD8+, and CD20+ lymphocytes was significantly correlated with the grade of inflammation in hepatic tissues in patients with different HBeAg status, whereas the correlations between hepatic immune cells and levels of ALT and HBV DNA vary