Ali, R., Younes, S., Hassan, A., Hassan, A., El-Sakka, A., Emad, R., Hassoba, H. (2019). Natural Killer T cells in Egyptian Patients with HCV-associated Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Suez Canal University Medical Journal, 22(1), 95-105. doi: 10.21608/scumj.2019.65514
Raghda K Ali; Soha E Younes; Adel A Hassan; Amany M Hassan; Amro A El-Sakka; Rasha Emad; Howayda Hassoba. "Natural Killer T cells in Egyptian Patients with HCV-associated Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease". Suez Canal University Medical Journal, 22, 1, 2019, 95-105. doi: 10.21608/scumj.2019.65514
Ali, R., Younes, S., Hassan, A., Hassan, A., El-Sakka, A., Emad, R., Hassoba, H. (2019). 'Natural Killer T cells in Egyptian Patients with HCV-associated Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease', Suez Canal University Medical Journal, 22(1), pp. 95-105. doi: 10.21608/scumj.2019.65514
Ali, R., Younes, S., Hassan, A., Hassan, A., El-Sakka, A., Emad, R., Hassoba, H. Natural Killer T cells in Egyptian Patients with HCV-associated Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Suez Canal University Medical Journal, 2019; 22(1): 95-105. doi: 10.21608/scumj.2019.65514
Natural Killer T cells in Egyptian Patients with HCV-associated Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
1Department of Clinical Pathology, Ismailia Oncology Hospital, Egypt
2Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt
3Department Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt
4Fifth year Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt
5Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Port Said University, Egypt
Abstract
Background:Studies on Natural Killer T (NKT) cells in Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have shown contradictory results. Moreover, the effect of HCV superinfection on NKT cells in NAFLD patients have not been previously studied. Aim: to assess the effect of the concomitant HCV infection on the frequency of NKT cells and CD8+ T cells in a cohort of Egyptian patients with hepatic steatosis. Subjects and Methods: Two-hundred subjects were divided into four equal groups, 1) concomitant hepatic steatosis/HCV, 2) HCV (without steatosis), 3) steatosis (without HCV), and 4) normal controls. NKT and CD8+ T cells were identified by monoclonal antibodies surface staining for (CD3, CD56, CD161), and (CD3, CD8) respectively using flow cytometry. Results: CD3+/CD56+/CD161+ NKT cells were significantly higher in patients with either steatosis (alone) or concomitant HCV/steatosis compared to control (p<0.0001 each), while comparable NKT frequency was found between HCV group and control (p=0.72). A significant increase in CD3+/CD8+ T cells was noted in the three patients’ groups compared to control (p=0.0001, 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). Interestingly, NKT cells were significantly higher in patients with steatosis/HCV compared to those with HCV alone (p<0.0001), while, they did not differ betweenconcomitant HCV/steatosis and steatosis (alone) group. Higher frequencies of both NKT cells and CD8+ T cells were significantly associated with increased severity of steatosis. In HCV group, NKT frequencies were unrelated to steatosis severity. Conclusion: NKT cells are significantly elevated in patients with hepatic steatosis irrespective to the presence or absence of concomitant HCV infection.