In:
Cells, MDPI AG, Vol. 7, No. 11 ( 2018-11-02), p. 196-
Abstract:
Background: Advanced cirrhosis is related to alterations in immunity. We aimed to evaluate the levels of peripheral CD4+ T cells (Tregs) and plasma cytokine in patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus (HIV/HCV) according to liver fibrosis stages [evaluated as liver stiffness measure (LSM)] and their linear relationship. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on 238 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients (119 had 〈 12.5 kPa, 73 had 12.5–25 kPa, and 46 had 〉 25 kPa). Peripheral T-cell subsets were phenotyped by flow cytometry, plasma biomarkers were assessed by multiplex immunoassays, and LSM was assessed by transient elastography. Results: We found HIV/HCV-coinfected patients had higher values of CD4+ Tregs (p 〈 0.001), memory Tregs (p ≤ 0.001), and plasma cytokine levels [IFN-γ (p ≤ 0.05) and IL-10 (p ≤ 0.01)] compared with healthy donors and HIV-monoinfected patients. In the multivariate analysis, higher LSM values were associated with reduced levels of IL-10 (adjusted arithmetic mean ratio (aAMR) = 0.83; p = 0.019), IL-2 (aAMR = 0.78; p = 0.017), TNF-α (aAMR = 0.67; p 〈 0.001), and IL-17A (aAMR = 0.75; p = 0.006). When we focus on HIV/HCV-coinfected patients analyzed by LSM strata, patients with ≥25 kPa had lower values of IL-2 (aAMR = 0.66; p = 0.021), TNF-α (aAMR = 0.565; p = 0.003), and IL-17A (aAMR = 0.58; p = 0.003) than patients with 〈 12.5 kPa. Conclusion: HIV/HCV-coinfected patients showed an immunosuppressive profile compared to healthy controls and HIV-monoinfected patients. Additionally, HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with advanced cirrhosis (LSM ≥ 25 kPa) had the lowest plasma values of cytokines related to Th1 (IL-2 and TNF-α) and Th17 (IL-17A) response.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2073-4409
DOI:
10.3390/cells7110196
Language:
English
Publisher:
MDPI AG
Publication Date:
2018
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2661518-6
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