Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2025
Author Spotlight: Investigating Immune Cell Dynamics in the Tumor Microenvironment — Challenges and Innovations in Cancer Prognosis
Published on: April 12, 2024
Clinical Significance and Properties of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 Cells in Liver Injury Associated with Chronic Hepatitis B
Hao Xie1, Jingyan Zeng1, Xiong Yan2
1Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Introduction:
Our previous study demonstrated that intrahepatic Th17 cells exacerbated the progression of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Meanwhile, we found a small group of IFN-γ and IL-17 double-positive Th17 cells (IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells) in liver tissues. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and properties of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells in liver injury associated with chronic HBV infection.
Methods:
The frequencies of CD4+ Th cells, Tregs, and CD4+ T cells expressing specific chemokine receptors in the blood and liver tissues were detected using flow cytometry. The chemotaxis of C C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) and C-X-C chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) toward IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells and Tregs was evaluated by transwell chemotactic assay. Analyses of different variables were performed using GraphPad Prism v 5.01 and IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0. HBV-specific IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells were investigated using a cell stimulation assay with HBV antigens in vitro.
Results:
The frequencies of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17, Th17 cells, and Tregs in the blood were increased from normal controls to chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). The same trend could also be observed in CHB liver tissues compared to those in CHB blood specimens. Furthermore, the frequencies of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells were positively associated with Th17 cells, Th17 cell-related cytokines (IL-17 and IL-6), HBV DNA load, and the levels of HBsAg, HBeAg, and ALT. The ratios of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells to Tregs extremely decreased in ACLF blood specimens compared with those in CHB blood specimens. Additionally, CCR5 and CXCR3 were conducive to the recruitment of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells and Tregs to liver tissue.
Conclusions:
IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells have Th17 cell-like properties in the progression of chronic HBV infection. CCR5 and CXCR3 facilitated the recruitment of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells and Tregs to the liver. Importantly, the ratio of IFN-γ+IL-17+ Th17 cells to Tregs might be an effective assessment indicator of the severity of liver injury.
More Related Videos
11:36Induction of Drug-Induced, Autoimmune Hepatitis in BALB/c Mice for the Study of Its Pathogenic Mechanisms
Published on: May 29, 2020
11:34A Competent Hepatocyte Model Examining Hepatitis B Virus Entry through Sodium Taurocholate Cotransporting Polypeptide as a Therapeutic Target
Published on: May 10, 2022
Related Concept Videos
01:24T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
01:24Liver Regeneration
Cells of Liver
The liver comprises four major types of cells— hepatocytes, stellate, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The hepatocytes are...