The effects of CD4~+CD25~(+high)regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B on the hosts' immune function

Objective To study the effects of CD4+ CD25+high regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B on the hosts' immune function.Methods CD4+ CD25+high regulatory T cells,CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells were measured by flow cytometry in 42 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 20 healthy donors.Results Compared with healthy controls,the percentage of CD4+CD25+high/CD4+ significantly increased and that of CD4+/CD3+ markedly decreased in patients with chronic hepatitis B.There was significantly positive correlation between the percentage of CD4+CD25+high/CD4+ and that of HBV DNA load.However,no significant correlation was found between the percentage of CD4+CD25+high/CD4+ and that of serum ALT.Conclusion The increase of CD4+CD25+high regulatory T cells in peripheral blood may be associated with dysfunction of hosts' immunity in chronic hepatitis B patients.