Clinical significance of peripheral CD16-positive monocytes in the patients with autoimmune hepatitis

Objective To investigate the frequencies and phenotypes of the peripheral blood CD16-positive monocytes in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Methods 13 AIH patients admitted to our hospital from January 2010 to December 2013 and 8 health individuals as control were enrolled in our study.The frequency of the peripheral blood CD16-positive monocytes and the expression of human leucocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR), Toll like receptor(TLR)-2, TLR-4, and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α was measured with flow cytometry. Results The frequencies of the peripheral blood CD16-positive monocytes in AIH patients were much higher than that in health individuals (Z=-2.028, P<0.05). The frequencies of CD16-positive monocytes were positively correlates with the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in AIH patients (r=0.573, P<0.05). The expression of HLA-DR (Z=-2.173, P<0.05) in CD16-positive monocytes was significantly lower, while the expression of TLR-4 (Z=-1.992, P<0.05) and secreting levels of TNF-α (Z=-2.607, P<0.05) were much higher in AIH patients, compared with that in health individuals.The frequencies of CD16-positive monocytes were obviously lower (Z=-2.197, P<0.05) with increased HLA-DR expression (Z=-2.366, P<0.05) and decreased TLR-4 expression (Z=-2.197, P<0.05) after treatment with the combination of prednisone and azathioprine compared with the baseline values. Conclusion CD16-positive monocytes might be involved in the pathogensis of AIH and contribute to the liver tissue’s inflammation and necrosis. Key words: Autoimmune hepatitis; CD16-positive monocytes; Human leucocyte antigen DR; Toll like receptor 4; Tumor necrosis factor α