In vitro incubation of cytokine-induced killer cells from patients with and without hepatitis B virus and a cell subset analysis

摘要

Objective The aim of the study was to explore the difference between immune cell subsets during the incubation of cytokine-induced kill cells（CIKs） from patients with and without hepatitis B virus（HBV）. Methods Peripheral blood samples were extracted from 50 tumor patients, and were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of HBV. The proliferation rate and activity of CIK cells were examined based on counts on days 1, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 of culture. Additionally, the CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD4+, and CD3+CD56+ T cell populations were analyzed by flow cytometry on days 5, 7, 10, 13, and 15 of culture. Results Proliferation over a 15-day period was higher in the HBV-positive group than in the negative group（280-fold vs. 180-fold increase, respectively）, but there was no significant difference between the two groups at each time point. The frequencies of CD3+, CD8+ T, CD3+CD8+, and CD3+CD56+T cells increased over time, while those of CD4+ and CD3+CD4+ T cells decreased over time, and these changes were greater in the positive group than in the negative group. The differences in CD8+ T cells and CD3+CD4+ T cells between the two groups were significant（P ＜ 0.05）. Conclusion The proliferative capacity of CIK cells was higher for patients in the HBV-positive group than those in the HBV-negative group, and immune cell subsets were more favorable in the HBV-positive group than the negative group.