Peripheral blood T cell subsets and TH1/TH2 cytokines secretion in children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Objective: To determine the cellular immunological abnormalities in children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Methods: (1) The quantity of the peripheral blood T cell subsets in 16 children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and 10 healthy blood donors was detected by FACS. (2) The levels of the TH1/TH2 cytokines secretion of PBMC in patients and healthy blood donors were detected by ELISA.

Results: (1) Compared with normal controls, there was no significant difference in the percentage of CD4+ cells. The percentage of CD8+ cells was significantly higher than that of controls (P < 0.05). The percentage of CD3+ cells was higher and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells was lower, but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). (2) Compared with the cytokine level of normal control, the levels of IFN-gamma, IL-10 and TNF-alpha notably increased (P < 0.01) while IL-2, IL-4, and IL-12 were not detected in the culture supernatant of PBMCs from both normal control and patients.

Conclusions: There is an imbalance in peripheral blood T cell subsets and disturbance in cellular immunity in children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, which may be associated with HCV persistent infection.