Lymphocyte subsets and β2‐microglobulin expression in chronic hepatitis C/non‐A, non‐B. Effects of interferon‐alpha treatment

A. FRYDENt & H. GLAUMANN* Departments of Infectious Di.'iea.ses. Ostra Hospital. University of Goteborg. Goteborg,*Rodagstull Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, and iUniversity Hospital. Linkoping. Sweden, andXInstitut Jur Medizinische Chemie und Biochemie. University of Innsbruck. Innsbruck, Austria(Acceptedfor publication 4 October 1991}SUMMARYThirty-three patients with chronic hepatitis C/non-A. non-B were included in a randomizedcontrolled study of interferon-alpha 2b (1FN-O(2b) treatment. 3 x 10'' LJ three times weekly for 36weeks. Using an immunoperoxidase technique, frozen liver biopsy specimens were examined withMoAbs for the presence ofT helper cells (CD4). T suppressor/cytotoxic cells (CD8), total T cells(CD2) and B cells (CD22) before and after treatment. /J:-microglobulin (//rMG) expression onhepatocytes was semiquantified using a scoring system on sections from paraffin-embedded biopsyspecimens. Serum levels of/f2-MG were analysed with a radioimmunoassay technique, lntralobularT helper and T suppressor/cytotoxic cells declined significantly in the treated patients but not in thecontrols. The portal CD4/CD8 ratio did not change. Before treatment, serum /f:-MG levels andhepatocytc /^-MG expression were significantly higher in patients with chronic active hepatitiscompared to patients with chronic persistent hepatitis. Serum /f:-MG levels increased significantly inresponders during IFN treatment, with a maximum after 12 weeks. However, in the liver, thehepatocyte /ii-MG expression was significantly decreased after treatment. Thus, IFN-ot treatmentdoes not seem to induce an increased HLA cia,ss I antigen hepatocyte expression in chronic non-A.non-B hepatitis, which favours the hypothesis that its anti-viral effects are more important inmodulating the disease activity.Keywords hepatitis C non-A, non-B hepatitis /f-microglobuiin lymphocytes interferon