Hepatocyte necrosis associated with HBV marker expression and T cytotoxic cells in situ in chronic hepatitis B

Abstract

To explore the role of HBV antigen expression and monocyte infiltrale in situ in chronic hepatitis, HBV markers and compositions and number of monocytes in the liver of chronic hepatitis B were immunohistochemically located and identified, and correlated with hepatocyle necrosis. It was found thai hepatic necrosis frequently took place in the centre or boundary of membranous HBsAg and/or HBcAg expression and the majority of monocytes accumulated in the necrotic areas showed CD₈⁺ cell token in HBeAg-positive stage of chronic active hepatitis. On the other hand, with HBeAg positivity converted into HBeAg-negativily or anti-HBe-positivily, HBV antigen expression significantly declined, CD₄⁺ cells remarkably increased as compared to HBeAg-positive status. These findings suggest that there may be distinct pathogenesis of hepatic necrosis in different stages of chronic HBV infection.

Keywords

hepatic necrosis / HBV marker / T cell subsets / chronic hepatitis B / immunohistochemistry