Contradictory Immune Response in Post Liver Transplantation Hepatitis B and C
Figure 1
Immune status in chronic hepatitis C and postorthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) hepatitis C. (a) NK cells are the first immunological defense system from hepatitis C virus (HCV). The phenotype defined with the activation or inhibitory receptor gene polymorphism affects the chronic hepatitis C activity and the post-OLT hepatitis activity. The interferon producing function is decreased by HCV proteins. (b) Kupffer cells or dendritic cells (DCs) have important roles in bridging innate and adaptive immune responses. These cells show proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions when infected with HCV. These cytokines’ balance is well controlled for viral persistence and chronic inflammatory state by viral antigens. After OLT, regulatory T cells might affect to reduce antiviral defence but not to reduce inflammatory cytokines resulting in severer chronic hepatitis. The type 1 regulatory T cells (Tr1) may induce severe hepatitis, while a lower frequency of Tr1 is correlated with hepatitis control with HCV positive status. NK: natural killer cell, OLT: orthotopic liver transplantation, HCV: hepatitis C virus, MHC: major histocompatibility complex, IFN: interferon, Treg: regulatory T cell, and Tr1: type 1 regulatory T cell.
