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©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Mucosal-associated invariant T cells in hepatitis B virus-related liver failure
Hong Xue, Han Li, Lin-Ling Ju, Xu-Dong Han, Tiao-Chun Cheng, Xi Luo, Lin Chen, Jian-Guo Shao, Yong-Jun She, Zhao-Lian Bian
Hong Xue, Department of Liver Diseases, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong 226006, Jiangsu Province, China
Han Li, Tiao-Chun Cheng, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong 226006, Jiangsu Province, China
Lin-Ling Ju, Xi Luo, Lin Chen, Jian-Guo Shao, Zhao-Lian Bian, Nantong Institute of Liver Diseases, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong 226006, Jiangsu Province, China
Xu-Dong Han, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong 226006, Jiangsu Province, China
Jian-Guo Shao, Zhao-Lian Bian, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong 226006, Jiangsu Province, China
Yong-Jun She, Department of Anesthesiology, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong 226006, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Xue H, Li H and Ju L-L contributed equally to this work; Xue H and Ju L-L performed the flow cytometry analysis; Li H and Cheng T-C wrote the manuscript; Luo X and Chen L performed the statistical analysis; Han X-D, Shao J-G and She Y-J revised the manuscript; Bian Z-L designed the study and revised the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81600449; Nantong Science and Technology Bureau, No. MS22018007, No. MSZ18130, and No. JCZ18036; Six Peak Talents in Jiangsu Province, No. YY-177; Project of Jiangsu Province Youth Medical Talent Development, No. QNRC2016400; and Project of Nantong Youth Medical Talent Development, No. 05.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Nantong Third People’s Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Nantong, China.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhao-Lian Bian, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, No. 60 Middle Qingnian Road, Nantong 226006, Jiangsu Province, China. bianzhaolian1998@163.com
Received: March 2, 2020
Peer-review started: March 2, 2020
First decision: April 25, 2020
Revised: May 21, 2020
Accepted: July 30, 2020
Article in press: July 30, 2020
Published online: August 21, 2020
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background
Immune responses play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of liver failure. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a novel population of innate-like lymphocytes involved in inflammatory liver disease, and their potential role in liver failure remains unclear.
Research motivation
To determine the role of circulating MAIT cells in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver failure and better understand the pathophysiological mechanism of liver failure, which is helpful for clinical decision-making.
Research objectives
This study aimed to explore the relationship between the alteration of circulating MAIT cells and prognosis of HBV-related liver failure.
Research methods
Fifty-five patients with HBV-related liver failure were enrolled to assess the effect of circulating MAIT cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and the expression of circulating MAIT cells was detected by flow cytometry.
Research results
The level of circulating MAIT cells was reduced significantly in HBV-related liver failure patients. There was also a more significant reduction of MAIT cells in patients with HBV-related liver failure compared with chronic hepatitis B patients. The alteration of circulating MAIT cells is associated with the severity and prognosis of HBV-related liver failure.
Research conclusions
We conclude that the circulating MAIT cells may be an important prognostic marker for HBV-related liver failure, and the lower expression of circulating MAIT cells may indicate a poor prognosis.
Research perspectives
The circulating MAIT cells are vital for assessing the severity and prognosis of patients with HBV-related liver failure, and the mechanism of MAIT cell depletion needs to be further studied.
