摘要
Objective:IL-22-producingCD4+Thelpercells(Th22cells)havebeenidentifiedasmajorinducersoftissueinflammationandimmuneresponses.Currently,nopreviousstudyexploredtheroleofTh22cellsinthepathogenesisofhepatocellularcarcinoma(HCC).ThestudyaimedtodeterminethebiologicalfunctionofTh22cellsanditseffectorIL-22inHCCpatients.Methods:Forty-fiveHCCpatientsand19healthycontrolswererecruitedandtheirperipheralbloodwascollected.ThefreshHCCtissues,adjacentHCCtissuesandtennormallivertissueswerealsocollected.FlowcytometryanalysiswasusedtodeterminethefrequenciesofcirculatingTh22cellsandTh17cells.SerumIL-22levelsweretestedbyenzyme-linkedimmunosorbentassay(ELISA).Immunohistochemicalstainingandreal-timepolymerasechainreaction(PCR)wereusedtodetectIL-22proteinandmRNAintissuesspecimens,respectively.Results:CirculatingTh22cells,Th17cellsandserumIL-22levelsweresignificantlyelevatedinHCCpatientscomparedwiththoseofhealthycontrols(P<0.001).Th22cellswereshowedtobepositivelycorrelatedwithIL-22inHCCpatients(P<0.05),butnotinhealthycontrols.NosignificantdifferenceswerefoundinHCCpatientswithHBeAgpositivityornegativityintermofTh22cellsandserumIL-22levels.TheexpressionofIL-22proteinandmRNAwashighestinHCCtissues,followedbyadjacentHCCtissuesandnormallivertissues.Furthermore,Th22cells,serumIL-22levelsandIL-22mRNAwereelevatedatstageIII-IVcomparedwithstageI-IIofHCC(P<0.05).Conclusions:ElevationofcirculatingTh22cellsandIL-22maybeimplicatedinthepathogenesisofHCC,andpotentiallybecellulartargetsfortherapeuticintervention.
出版日期
2014年02月12日（中国期刊网平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）
