Características fenotípicas de células T linfocitarias de tipo regulador (Treg) presentes en el hígado de pacientes con infección crónica por VHB (Phenotypic characterization of regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) in livers from chronically HBV infected patients)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is responsible for irreversible liver damage. In this study we evaluated regulatory T cell that infiltrate the liver in hepatic biopsies from subjects with chronic HBV infection. Data showed a significant increase (p <0.05) in the number of CD4 + T cells co-expressing FoxP3, IL-10 or TGFβ, in HBV chronically infected patients, as compared with the other group of patients. This increase was positively correlated with plasma ALT levels (R= 0.9, p <0.05). There were not significant differences between the clinical groups, when liver infiltrating CD8 + populations were evaluated. These findings may contribute to understand events leading to failure of the immune response associated with recruitment of suppressor- type populations, which could inhibit specific immune response against HBV, therefore contributing to viral persistence.