CD4+ T cells and NK cells: Biomarkers for hepatic fibrosis in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients

DIEGO OJEDA; HECTOR PEREZ; ZWIRNER NORBERTO; MARÍA LAURA POLO; GABRIELA TURK; JORGE QUARLERI; LAUFER NATALIA; MARTINEZ ANA; PEDRO CAHN

WORLD JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY

W J G PRESS

Lugar: Beijing; Año: 2017 vol. 9 p. 1073 - 1080

1007-9327

AIM: To characterize peripheral blood Natural Killer (NK) cell phenotypes by flow cytometry as potential biomarker for liver fibrosis in patients chronically coinfected with hepatitis C and HIV.METHODS: Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from 24 HIV/HCV (HBV negative) coinfected and 5 HIV/HCV/HBV seronegative individuals were evaluated. HIV/HCV-coinfected patients were divided into two groups: G1: patients with METAVIR F0-F2, and G2: patients with METAVIR F3-F4. NK Surface cell staining was performed with: anti-CD3(APC/Cy7), anti-CD56(PE/Cy5), anti-CD57(APC), anti-CD25(PE), anti-CD69(FITC), anti-NKp30(PE), anti-NKp46(PE/Cy7), anti-NKG2D(APC), anti-DNAM(FITC), anti-CD62L (PE/Cy7), anti-CCR7(PE), anti-TRAIL(PE), anti-FasL(PE) and, anti CD94(FITC). Flow cytometry data acquisition was performed on BD FACSCanto and analyzed using FlowJo software. Frequency of fluorescence was analyzed for all single markers. Clinical records were reviewed, and epidemiological and clinical data were obtained.RESULTS: Samples from 11 patients were included in G1 and from 13 in G2. All patients were on ARV, with undetectable HIV viral load. Even though no major significant differences were observed between G1 and G2 regarding NK surface markers, it was found that patients with higher liver fibrosis presented statistically lower percentage of NK cells than individual with low to mild fibrosis and healthy controls (G2: 5.4±2.3%, G1: 12.6±8.2 %, p=0.002 and healthy controls 12.2±2.7%, p=0.008). It was also found that individuals with higher liver fibrosis presented lower CD4 LT count than those from G1 (G2:521±312 cells/μL, G1: 770±205 cells/μL; p=0.035)CONCLUSION: It was observed that HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with higher levels of liver fibrosis are those with lower percentage of NK cells and with lower LTCD4+ count. These are two simple parameters that might be performed in a routine laboratory test and may serve as noninvasive biomarkers for liver fibrosis, thus identifying patients in need of HCV therapy in the short term.