| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
Fiscal Year 1989: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 1988: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Many studies of T-cell subsets in the peripheral blood of HBN carriers have shown that in chronic hepatitis (CH). CD4 (helper/inducer T) cells are reduced and CD8(suppressor/cytotoxic T) cells are at normal or high levels: thus, the CD4/ CD8 ratio is reduced. However although some reports about asymptomatic carriers suggest that this ratio is low like in CH, other maintain that it is normal. By single-color staining with monoclonal antibodies, it is not possible to distinguish between helper T and inducer T cells or between suppressor T and cytotoxic T cells.
Here, we studied this question by use of two-color staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate and phycoerythrin. Peripheral T-cell subsets were identified with the Leu series of monoclonal antibodies and analyzed by flow cytometory. Our subjects were: 48 asymptomatic carriers. 18 of whom were positive for the HBe antigen (HBeAg+), and 30 of whom were HBeAg-: 64 patients with CH. 49 of whom were HBeAg+, and 15 of whom were HBeAg-: ano
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ther 50 subjects were healthy controls, who were participants in a trial of a hepatitis B vaccine. Compared to the controls, helper T cells (Leu3a^+ 8^-) in patients with CH were few, inducer T cells (Leu3a^+ 8^+) were many (p<0.01), suppressor T cells (Leu2a^+ 15^+) were many (p<0.01), and cytotoxic T cells (Leu2a^+ 15^-) were few (p<0.05). The decrease in helper T cells made up much of the reduction in CD4 cells, although inducer T cells increased. Compared to the controls, helper T cells in asymptomatic carriers were few (p<0.01), suppressor T sells and inducer T cells were many (p<0.01). This tendency was strong in asymptomatic carriers who were HBeAg-.
The pattern in asymptomatic carriers who HBeAg+ was similar to that in CH. It is interesting that T-cell subsets of asynptomatic carriers (Especialy in HBeAg-) who had no biochemical and clinical abnormality were different from those of normal adults. The different patterns for T-cell subsets in different pathological conditions of HBV carriers seems to reflect the immunological relationship between the HBV and its host. Less
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